Mind elaborating on this? Wireless keyboard with built-in USB ports- how does it work? I can't find anything else on this, it looks like the wired version is supposed to have the ports but not the wireless.
Aurora Micro Wireless - Black anodized aluminium wireless keyboard! With multimedia keys, 'scissor' action mechanical keys, 2x USB ports built in and loads more!
![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Project MiniMe - Smallest (ever?) Watercooled mITX PC
- Thread starter oliverw92
- Start date
qiaowenqian
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2009
- Messages
- 500
great job. i like the mod
Yeah i got that wrong, no USB ports on the wireless version, but you get a mouse instead!
Update #17
Box of goodies from Enermax! Thankyou to Alexandra, my contact there
Talk about epic freebies!
Anyone know what it means?
Crazy card holders for things like SD and XD cards
There are more freebies than actual sponsorship things!
Onto the proper stuff! Aurora Micro Wireless keyboard, Silver Apollish 120mm fan, White Cluster 120mm fan. I am going to test both fans and decide which is most appropriate for my project in terms of looks and performance.
Very simplistic packaging, came with plenty of padding to stop the keyboard getting damaged. No silly plastic bits making it environmentally friendly.
Nice simple product guide, not sure why it needs to be in a bag??! I like this type of guide though, don't need to read through a gazillion different language sections and a billion different health and safety warnings.
The keyboard in all its aluminium glory! It has a really solid feel to it. It must be at least 5mm thick aluminium on the top. The base is plastic, but it still feels well built. The simplistic styling of the keyboard is really nice, i.e. the curving hand rest part of the aluminium. It is actually really comfy.
Here you can see the integrated mouse ball. This is a genius idea. However Enermax have not only come up with a good idea, they have implemented it perfectly. With most other good ideas like this, the outcome is normally not well thought out. The concept may be good, but it doesn't actually function very well. This is not the case with the mouse ball. It barely took any time to get used to and is really nice if you dont want to have to sit right up to your desk. It is also a perfect addition for a media pc sitting next to your TV - you do not need a separate mouse.
Here you can see the mouse buttons and scroll wheel. At first you think 'how on earth is that going to work' but it really does. The buttons feel like proper mouse buttons, along with the scroll wheel.
Here you can see the media keys at the top. The music keys only work with wmp due to the protocol the keyboard uses. However i was surprised to find they work perfectly with my iMac. You may also notice the DPI Fn keys there. A really nice touch. The on the fly sensitive works really well, particularly if you have a small/large screen.
Battery power indicator.
Here is the back of the keyboard. There are no sharp edges to catch on clothing, everything is smoothed out so it sits nicely wherever you position it. The rubber feet are also rock solid on a flat surface. The keyboard runs off 2x AA batteries.
Here is the bluetooth connector. Nice and small, but not so small that you can lose it. The connection system is very simple: plug it in, and it works instantly! No drivers are required, even for all the media keys. I think it would have been nice, however, if they could have developed software to allow for proper integration with more programs such as itunes and winamp.
Here is the Apollish fan. I was a little dubious about this fan at first when Alexandra suggested it. I was unsure about the quality of the finish, in some of the photos it looked a little 'cheap' and 'tacky'. However as soon as i opened the box i was amazed! The finish is stunning!
Incorporated is a switch for the LEDs, a temperature probe to allow automatic control of the fan and a 3 pin power connector.
It's so shiny!
A sticker that is actually properly centred on the fan, unlike alot of others.
Here you can see the unique LED design. The fan uses SMD LEDs and resistors around the edge of the fan. I will get some pictures of this in action as soon as i can.
Here is the other fan, the Cluster. I have always had a softspot for this one! With the white LEDs it looks stunning.
The observant among you may notice something is missing! The aluminium ring around the outside has been removed and sent off for powdercoating (yes i am that picky!)
It was very easy to remove the middle bit, just had to unclip the top of the fan and twist the ring out.
Now onto some actual modding! Here are the new cubes for the corners of the case. I first of all cut the cubes on the laser cutter, but this time did not try and laser any holes. The issue with lasering the holes was that the plastic would reform straight after, meaning there was no hole basically. When i tried to drill it out, the bit would skid in the hole, ending up with a wonky screw! This time i made a jig on the laser cutter that held the cube perfectly straight. IN the bottom of the jig was a hole. I lined up the drill bit with this hole and clamped the jig down. This meant that the cubes were drilled perfectly straight.
The missing corner is intentional. This is for a 3mm LED to go into. To do the holes, i clamped the cube in a vice on its corners and drilled straight down.
Here is what the cube looks like with an LED in.
So that is the end of the update really. Now for what is currently happening and will be shown in a few weeks time!
Progress is happening with the laser cutting and powdercoating. Marcus should be lasering the mesh front and back this week, hopefully powdercoating them by the end of the week. I have sent him the top of the psu, the case feet, fan grill, motherboard i/o backplate, GPU backplate and fan ring for powdercoating. The mesh + these things will be done in:
(image courtesy of marcus)
Everything else is going to be done in this one! (i.e. the aluminium/steel frame). This is called Blue Ice explosion and should be with marcus next weekend so in 2 weeks we should have all the lasering and powdercoating done!
You can see more pics of this finish here: http://www.powderbuythepound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=46_152&products_id=1976
Until next time!
Update #17
Box of goodies from Enermax! Thankyou to Alexandra, my contact there
Talk about epic freebies!
Anyone know what it means?
Crazy card holders for things like SD and XD cards
There are more freebies than actual sponsorship things!
Onto the proper stuff! Aurora Micro Wireless keyboard, Silver Apollish 120mm fan, White Cluster 120mm fan. I am going to test both fans and decide which is most appropriate for my project in terms of looks and performance.
Very simplistic packaging, came with plenty of padding to stop the keyboard getting damaged. No silly plastic bits making it environmentally friendly.
Nice simple product guide, not sure why it needs to be in a bag??! I like this type of guide though, don't need to read through a gazillion different language sections and a billion different health and safety warnings.
The keyboard in all its aluminium glory! It has a really solid feel to it. It must be at least 5mm thick aluminium on the top. The base is plastic, but it still feels well built. The simplistic styling of the keyboard is really nice, i.e. the curving hand rest part of the aluminium. It is actually really comfy.
Here you can see the integrated mouse ball. This is a genius idea. However Enermax have not only come up with a good idea, they have implemented it perfectly. With most other good ideas like this, the outcome is normally not well thought out. The concept may be good, but it doesn't actually function very well. This is not the case with the mouse ball. It barely took any time to get used to and is really nice if you dont want to have to sit right up to your desk. It is also a perfect addition for a media pc sitting next to your TV - you do not need a separate mouse.
Here you can see the mouse buttons and scroll wheel. At first you think 'how on earth is that going to work' but it really does. The buttons feel like proper mouse buttons, along with the scroll wheel.
Here you can see the media keys at the top. The music keys only work with wmp due to the protocol the keyboard uses. However i was surprised to find they work perfectly with my iMac. You may also notice the DPI Fn keys there. A really nice touch. The on the fly sensitive works really well, particularly if you have a small/large screen.
Battery power indicator.
Here is the back of the keyboard. There are no sharp edges to catch on clothing, everything is smoothed out so it sits nicely wherever you position it. The rubber feet are also rock solid on a flat surface. The keyboard runs off 2x AA batteries.
Here is the bluetooth connector. Nice and small, but not so small that you can lose it. The connection system is very simple: plug it in, and it works instantly! No drivers are required, even for all the media keys. I think it would have been nice, however, if they could have developed software to allow for proper integration with more programs such as itunes and winamp.
Here is the Apollish fan. I was a little dubious about this fan at first when Alexandra suggested it. I was unsure about the quality of the finish, in some of the photos it looked a little 'cheap' and 'tacky'. However as soon as i opened the box i was amazed! The finish is stunning!
Incorporated is a switch for the LEDs, a temperature probe to allow automatic control of the fan and a 3 pin power connector.
It's so shiny!
A sticker that is actually properly centred on the fan, unlike alot of others.
Here you can see the unique LED design. The fan uses SMD LEDs and resistors around the edge of the fan. I will get some pictures of this in action as soon as i can.
Here is the other fan, the Cluster. I have always had a softspot for this one! With the white LEDs it looks stunning.
The observant among you may notice something is missing! The aluminium ring around the outside has been removed and sent off for powdercoating (yes i am that picky!)
It was very easy to remove the middle bit, just had to unclip the top of the fan and twist the ring out.
Now onto some actual modding! Here are the new cubes for the corners of the case. I first of all cut the cubes on the laser cutter, but this time did not try and laser any holes. The issue with lasering the holes was that the plastic would reform straight after, meaning there was no hole basically. When i tried to drill it out, the bit would skid in the hole, ending up with a wonky screw! This time i made a jig on the laser cutter that held the cube perfectly straight. IN the bottom of the jig was a hole. I lined up the drill bit with this hole and clamped the jig down. This meant that the cubes were drilled perfectly straight.
The missing corner is intentional. This is for a 3mm LED to go into. To do the holes, i clamped the cube in a vice on its corners and drilled straight down.
Here is what the cube looks like with an LED in.
So that is the end of the update really. Now for what is currently happening and will be shown in a few weeks time!
Progress is happening with the laser cutting and powdercoating. Marcus should be lasering the mesh front and back this week, hopefully powdercoating them by the end of the week. I have sent him the top of the psu, the case feet, fan grill, motherboard i/o backplate, GPU backplate and fan ring for powdercoating. The mesh + these things will be done in:
(image courtesy of marcus)
Everything else is going to be done in this one! (i.e. the aluminium/steel frame). This is called Blue Ice explosion and should be with marcus next weekend so in 2 weeks we should have all the lasering and powdercoating done!
You can see more pics of this finish here: http://www.powderbuythepound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=46_152&products_id=1976
Until next time!
Wahoomcdaniel
Weaksauce
- Joined
- May 2, 2005
- Messages
- 117
"Rest In Peace My Gamer"
Shadowssong
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2009
- Messages
- 1,969
That silver fan is sexy, can't wait to see it with LED's.
THanks for the comments!
Update #17
No i'm not dead! Just been having a few issues with things thats all. The biggest was that my iMac died. I use the iMac for all work related things including posting worklogs (i have a nice workflow of programs that allow me to really quickly do updates and also keep track of photos) so i did not want to release an update without using the iMac since it would be a pain to keep track of things.
My other issue is that i havn't heard from the lasercutter/powdercoater in over 3 weeks, which is the only thing holding the project up now. I've practically given up on him now, so i have done some revisions in 2D Design and i'm preparing to order some white 5mm acrylic to make the shell this week. The main problem with not hearing from him, however, is that he has half the stuff for the project (feet, fan grill, PSU top) so i need to get this back or i'm a bit stuffed!
So i'm hoping to have the project wrapped up by the end of next weekend, not sure if this will happen or not since there a few good parties scheduled (mainly a boat party on the Thames tomorrow!) and i may not be in a very good state for modding! Still i will try my best.
I have been doing some laser cutting since a few things needed changing (fillport was in the wrong place etc etc).
I also did a test run of MiniMe outside of the box with all the wcing. The only leak was from the Bitspower Crystal T Block, when i had a look there were cracks running through it so i ordered another one.
My Crucial 64GB SSD also arrived! This is the prize i chose after winning the extended project competition at school with my previous build, The Bloo Box (photos can be seen in the first post of this worklog). Can't wait to start testing this thing!
New side panel with all my sponsors.
Switch Plate
Front lower fan grill and rear upper fan grill (both made of tinted acrylic)
Front lower fan grill
Crucial SSD!
This is the new rear panel design. Originally this was going to be steel, but since i appear to have lost the laser cutter, this will now be acrylic.
And the new front panel.
Finally i have another sponsor to announce! This will most likely be the last sponsor since this build is coming to an end.
Roccat will be sponsoring me with:
Roccat Kone - Amazing gaming mouse!
Roccat Sota - Mouse mat
Roccat Vire - Gaming earphones
Roccat Apuri - Desktop management utility
Update #17
No i'm not dead! Just been having a few issues with things thats all. The biggest was that my iMac died. I use the iMac for all work related things including posting worklogs (i have a nice workflow of programs that allow me to really quickly do updates and also keep track of photos) so i did not want to release an update without using the iMac since it would be a pain to keep track of things.
My other issue is that i havn't heard from the lasercutter/powdercoater in over 3 weeks, which is the only thing holding the project up now. I've practically given up on him now, so i have done some revisions in 2D Design and i'm preparing to order some white 5mm acrylic to make the shell this week. The main problem with not hearing from him, however, is that he has half the stuff for the project (feet, fan grill, PSU top) so i need to get this back or i'm a bit stuffed!
So i'm hoping to have the project wrapped up by the end of next weekend, not sure if this will happen or not since there a few good parties scheduled (mainly a boat party on the Thames tomorrow!) and i may not be in a very good state for modding! Still i will try my best.
I have been doing some laser cutting since a few things needed changing (fillport was in the wrong place etc etc).
I also did a test run of MiniMe outside of the box with all the wcing. The only leak was from the Bitspower Crystal T Block, when i had a look there were cracks running through it so i ordered another one.
My Crucial 64GB SSD also arrived! This is the prize i chose after winning the extended project competition at school with my previous build, The Bloo Box (photos can be seen in the first post of this worklog). Can't wait to start testing this thing!
New side panel with all my sponsors.
Switch Plate
Front lower fan grill and rear upper fan grill (both made of tinted acrylic)
Front lower fan grill
Crucial SSD!
This is the new rear panel design. Originally this was going to be steel, but since i appear to have lost the laser cutter, this will now be acrylic.
And the new front panel.
Finally i have another sponsor to announce! This will most likely be the last sponsor since this build is coming to an end.
Roccat will be sponsoring me with:
Roccat Kone - Amazing gaming mouse!
Roccat Sota - Mouse mat
Roccat Vire - Gaming earphones
Roccat Apuri - Desktop management utility
Update #19
We are nearing completion! I spent a few hours with the acrylic laser cutter this week and got the shell busted out (given up on the aluminium/steel shell now). It is now glued up, nearly all the smoked acrylic done and just waiting for a few screws and the stuff from the powdercoater (i heard from him - he hopefully shipped the bits today!). I also got a new toy in the post today, a softbox/lightbox combo for taking even better photographs. This thing is amazing for £50! It can either be used as an overhead light for large things, or you can put it on a desk and it stands up like a mini tent, so you open a little door on it and you can take pics of small things with excellent lighting. Doesn't come with a stand, so i use one of the cymbal stands from my drum kit. Works perfectly! Anyway, i hope you can see the quality of photos has MASSIVELY improved now.
Decided to take some better shots of the SSD (the originals didnt do it justice!)
More SSD goodness!
An E8200, for the hell of it.
Completed sponsors side panel. Made of 5mm white acrylic for the outside ring and 5mm smoked for the inside.
Few pictures missing here, dunno where they went. At this stage i had the front, base and back capillary bonded with dichloromethane (this stuff can take 600p/inch^2 after curing for 24 hours, although it bonds instantly). I test fitted the PCB, drive bay and rear exhaust at this point.
The CD drive fits perfectly!
Here are some of my crazy designs realised by the laser cutter. There are loads of holes in the smoked acrylic, hard to see due to the shadows.
Switch plate installed
Another shot of the front
Close up of the fan controller and its mount. You may notice it is 'floating', this is because one of the bolts for the feet come up right underneath it, so i had to jack it up 5mm off the base.
Now to the rear of the case. This is a ventilation grill, which also acts as a rear window giving a view of the tubing in the back. The acrylic is translucent, the backing is still on the other side at the moment, however, to stop it getting scratched.
On the left is the 60mm fan vent and on the right are the PSU mounting holes and vent holes.
Side panel on! You can also see the PCI hole.
Switches installed. The two empty holes are for the potentiometers for the fan controller.
More of the lovely black switches
And now to some shots of the finished shell! For all the previous photos in this update i was using my new softbox as a lightbox - putting it down on a table and using it as a tent to take photos of small things. I now attached it to a cymbal stand and used it to light up a larger area. These photos have had NO editing at all, believe it or not!
Showing off the sponsor panel
Yes, some screws are missing, these are coming tomorrow. You can also see the top with the fillport and radiator hole.
And a view from the back with the blank right panel.
Some people were asking for me to put something in to give a scale of the case, so here is an AA battery next to the case!
And put even more scale on it, this is my new toy on the left (the softbox) on the cymbal stand. The shell is actually ontop of the amplifier i made two years ago. Can see the corner of my keyboard too.
Tomorrow is wiring and sleeving day (hopefully)! Will try and get as much done as i can, kinda busy though. Friday i have a half day so i will be busy busy busy on this! Until next time!
We are nearing completion! I spent a few hours with the acrylic laser cutter this week and got the shell busted out (given up on the aluminium/steel shell now). It is now glued up, nearly all the smoked acrylic done and just waiting for a few screws and the stuff from the powdercoater (i heard from him - he hopefully shipped the bits today!). I also got a new toy in the post today, a softbox/lightbox combo for taking even better photographs. This thing is amazing for £50! It can either be used as an overhead light for large things, or you can put it on a desk and it stands up like a mini tent, so you open a little door on it and you can take pics of small things with excellent lighting. Doesn't come with a stand, so i use one of the cymbal stands from my drum kit. Works perfectly! Anyway, i hope you can see the quality of photos has MASSIVELY improved now.
Decided to take some better shots of the SSD (the originals didnt do it justice!)
More SSD goodness!
An E8200, for the hell of it.
Completed sponsors side panel. Made of 5mm white acrylic for the outside ring and 5mm smoked for the inside.
Few pictures missing here, dunno where they went. At this stage i had the front, base and back capillary bonded with dichloromethane (this stuff can take 600p/inch^2 after curing for 24 hours, although it bonds instantly). I test fitted the PCB, drive bay and rear exhaust at this point.
The CD drive fits perfectly!
Here are some of my crazy designs realised by the laser cutter. There are loads of holes in the smoked acrylic, hard to see due to the shadows.
Switch plate installed
Another shot of the front
Close up of the fan controller and its mount. You may notice it is 'floating', this is because one of the bolts for the feet come up right underneath it, so i had to jack it up 5mm off the base.
Now to the rear of the case. This is a ventilation grill, which also acts as a rear window giving a view of the tubing in the back. The acrylic is translucent, the backing is still on the other side at the moment, however, to stop it getting scratched.
On the left is the 60mm fan vent and on the right are the PSU mounting holes and vent holes.
Side panel on! You can also see the PCI hole.
Switches installed. The two empty holes are for the potentiometers for the fan controller.
More of the lovely black switches
And now to some shots of the finished shell! For all the previous photos in this update i was using my new softbox as a lightbox - putting it down on a table and using it as a tent to take photos of small things. I now attached it to a cymbal stand and used it to light up a larger area. These photos have had NO editing at all, believe it or not!
Showing off the sponsor panel
Yes, some screws are missing, these are coming tomorrow. You can also see the top with the fillport and radiator hole.
And a view from the back with the blank right panel.
Some people were asking for me to put something in to give a scale of the case, so here is an AA battery next to the case!
And put even more scale on it, this is my new toy on the left (the softbox) on the cymbal stand. The shell is actually ontop of the amplifier i made two years ago. Can see the corner of my keyboard too.
Tomorrow is wiring and sleeving day (hopefully)! Will try and get as much done as i can, kinda busy though. Friday i have a half day so i will be busy busy busy on this! Until next time!
FrEaKy
[H] Movie and TV Show Review Guy
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2003
- Messages
- 14,113
very nice job my friend, I like it!
VF31Tomcatters
Gawd
- Joined
- May 19, 2008
- Messages
- 954
Very impressive!
Update #20
So yeah... it has been some time since an update! However, i hope the 57 images i have got for you make up for it!
I suppose i should explain whats been going on. As you probably guessed, i never had time to finish it before i left for christmas. In a mad rush to get it set up, i found out that the pump draws too many amps. It was too late however, it had already blown up the tracks on the PCB. At that point, i had 24 hours to finish the entire build before we left, and i needed to sleep at some point. I knew it was never going to happen so i gave up and just took my iMac with me on holiday.
Just before christmas, i sold my previous scratch build, The Bloo Box. This unfortunately got damaged by the blessed Royal Mail. The back acrylic panel got cracked and the 4870 1GB was damaged somehow. This kind of put a dampening on my modding spirits. Luckily the buyer was nice and we got it sorted out. I still have a borked 4870 sitting infront of me though...
After coming back from Devon, i had 2 weeks before school and exams. Even though i was still missing the powdercoated parts and white tubing for the build, i decided to assemble it and get it running. This went quite well and showed up a few issues that needed to be resolved for when i rebuilt it for the last time. There were issues with tubing kinking etc, i ended up having a loop of tube sticking out the motherboard I/O shield!
I should mention, during this time i blew up the cd drive by putting 12v through it instead of 5. Oops!
The rig ran well for 5 days, then one morning it wouldn't turn on properly. It would power up then instantly turn off. When i got home later that day i took the sides off and after much looking around , noticed Feser One all over the motherboard! I instantly ripped the rig apart and got everything out as carefully as i could. 4 hours, a whole box of cotton buds, some UV lights and alot of swearing, i got the mobo running again! I was incredibly lucky!
After the horror, i set up the Swiftech Apogee in a loop on its own. (for those who don't know, it is a pump/cpu block combo). After a few minutes, the top was really warm to touch. After 10 minutes, it was very hot, the tubing was soft and i burnt my finger on the CPU block! There was also a slow drip of coolant coming out of a join in the block. Obviously faulty.
I was then cleaning out the rad in the sink when i noticed water dripping out of the rad where it shouldn't. Upon further inspection, i noticed what looked like a dodgy braze on one corner. This hadn't actually caused the motherboard dampness, since the radiator was orientated so no coolant was coming out the hole. However, this has to be returned too now!
A week later after my first exam, my white tubing and Thermochill EC6 coolant turned up. Along with that came the powdercoated bits from Marcus! I was so chuffed with the job he had done i decided to put the rig back together but on air. This went well, until it decided to not post anymore...
So now for pictures!
They have been on two month journey from Hong Kong... during this time they fight fierce tiger, growling bear and evil iphone... ok i digress, either way they took ages to get here!
More of the fan control knobs
Got the switches wired up with white sleeving
Looks like some kind of weird snake! These are all the LED connections from the UV LED bar.
LED bar. This was scrapped due to it making the smoked acrylic go a horrible brown colour.
It lines up!
Here are the acrylic cubes drilled, tapped and glued into the corners. They measure 10mmx10mm!
Shmexy case feet from MNPCTech! They suite the build so perfectly!
Here you can see the Front designs showing through the smoked acrylic.
Got my knobs on!
Set up the PSU for a lighting test.
Believe it or not, there are only the LEDs from the fan and one LED on the custom PCB making all that light!
Really sets off the sponsor panel
Front fan grill designs
These are some dodgy pictures (and the only pictures) i took of the pc setup for the first time!
At this point i had the GPU out so i could get everything in easily. As you can see, it is VERY cramped!
Psu running without the top on. Managed to electrocute myself a fair few times!
All up and running! Here you can see it on my new Hi-Fi stand with my new audio setup. Cambridge Audio 640A V2, a pair of Q-Acoustic 1020i's and an Eltax Atomic A8 sub. Sounds amazing!
Puts a bit of scale on it doesn't it!
We now jump to after the leak. Here is the powdercoated stuff from Marcus! MASSIVE props to him, the powdercoat is brilliant! Here is the motherboard i/o, absolutely perfect fit.
Enermax Cluster with powdercoated white inner ring.
Thanks to Enermax for the keyboard and fans!
Motherboard all prepped for air cooling.
Power supply with the powdercoated top on. Looks brilliant! Sorry for the yellow tint, my white balance was set on shade for some reason...
4670 1gb with powdercoated white PCI backplate.
More of the powersupply
The powdercoat is thinner than i thought, all the details are still there.
Roccat Sponsorship arrived! (finally! Their post department put the wrong address on so it went back to them lol). This is the Roccat Arvo slimline gaming keyboard. The box is surprisingly small!
Inside we find a cardboard frame holding the keyboard in place. I thought there was more keyboard being hidden by the cardboard, but no...
... its so small! I was really surprised! (inb4 thats what she said). The arvo is only 17cm deep at the deepest part. It fits perfectly anywhere, particularly infront of a keyboard i found. The design has been considered carefully so it is not too over the top, but it still feels special. The cut corners and interesting Escape key add to the 'gaming' side of the keyboard, along with the illuminated arrow keys. One way space has been saved is buy combining the numpad with the arrow keys, delete home ins and page keys and two programmable macro keys. To change between the numbers and the other keys, you hit the mode button which is at the very top right of the keyboard. This works rather well. The first thing i checked was that it worked right when in the BIOS. It did, and had no hiccups whatsover. They have really pulled that feature off well.
A nice addition for any game really are these thumb buttons. They are positioned perfectly so you can hit them with your space-bar thumb easily and quickly. The middle one has a raised dot so you know which is which when you are being a hardcore gamer sitting in the dark at 3am in the morning high on coffee and smelling of... i digress again.
Here you can see the interesting escape key and the even more innovative function keys. Roccat has positioned them so that they 'hang' off the back. This may ring alarm bells of 'unstable keys', but they work really well. They are in the exact same position as normal, but are just adapted to use the space better. It also makes the keyboard look much nicer and more modern.
The only other key features are the flip out feet which feel nice and solid unlike other keyboards and the rubber pads. These are really grippy and they even have them on the flip out feet, something alot of keyboards lack. It also helps reduce noise when typing.
Overall i give the Roccat Arvo a 10/10!
Here we have the Roccat Sota granulated mouse mat. It was a lot larger than i imagined!
An interesting, although not very useful feature is the ability to see what the surface and base of the mat feel like. I don't really see the point in this, since i have never seen Roccat products on the shelf, and on the internet you can't actually touch things... if only you could... it would make certain things much more 'interactive'... i digress again!
My main issue with the Sota and i have thought this the moment i opened the box from Roccat is the packaging. The mat is encased in a plastic shell which has been heated around the edges to make one of those horrible plastic cases that you can only open with scissors and ends up cuttting your hands to bits the more you cut it open. It also means the Sota takes up an unprescedented amount of space during shipping. It measures nearly 50cm x 30cm with the packaging! I just don't understand their choice in this packaging. The mat is flexible, so why not roll it up in a tube? The last issue with the packaging is the proximity of the glued edge where you have to cut to the mouse mat. It took me a few minutes to get it open because i was so anxious about cutting into the mouse mat. You can just imagine it... little Timmy gets a Sota for his birthday. He hurriedly opens it up with scissors when disaster strikes! The sota has been decapitated due to dodgy packaging!
Anyway, back to the real world. Roccat needs to do something about that. It is the only thing letting it down!
The actual mat itself is brilliant. The surface is perfect, it grips well, it is the perfect size and it even has funky corners that match the Arvo keyboard.
Here you can see that it is flexible (hint to Roccat: put it in a tube!)
Overall i give the Sota an 8/10, due to the bad packaging.
We now move onto the Roccat Kone. I have always admired this mouse, and was really pleased when Roccat agreed to it. The box is minimalist in comparison to some companies like Razer. It gives you the facts about it and shows off a bit at the same time with a HUGE list of awards it has won!
They have included one of those silly flaps on the front which, again, seem like something more appropriate for on-the-shelf products, not non-touchable internet products. They might have well has sent it in plain brown box, it would make no difference to me in the long run. Still, its makes for a nice photo
Inside the inner box we have an inner plastic box inside an inner plastic bag... yeah everything is inside of something. We also have some software and some useless bits of paper telling me about some case study of a place at some coordinates... come on... i'm not 12...
A REALLY nice addition to the product is this intriguing box.
Inside we have a set of weights for the mouse ranging from 5g (preinstalled) up to 25g. We also have a driver cd in the other half, although i can't stand mini cds. The amount of times my mum tries to put them in her laptop's slotloading drive and i have to get it out...
Then we move on to the stunning piece of craftmanship itself. It really is gorgeous to look at. It is the only mouse i find more attractive than my iMac's mouse, the Logitech MX Revolution.
The lighting is so nice, much nicer than the Razer alternatives. The software allows you to change the colour of every LED, set them to flashing, change colour, pulsate etc. You can turn them off individually too, or all off.
My current light setting.
The mouse is a dream to use. It runs amazingly well on the Roccat Sota mouse mat. I always find it interesting to see if companies can make other products that compliment existing ones they make, and they have pulled it off well here. I have personally settled on the 5g weight, although i may change to 10g.
The software for the Kone is absolutely brilliant. It is easy to navigate, bug-free and doesn't look like some illegal satanic control panel designed to carefully and precisely torture people like the Razer software.
I give the Kone a 9.5/10, losing the 0.5 due to the few things in the packaging and also the weird diagonal line in the palm rest.
The last few photos were taken with my late christmas present from my godfather. It is a Manfrotto tripod In particular, the Manfrotto Modo. For those of you who aren't photographers/who are photographers who are both blind and deaf, Manfrotto make some of the best and most respected tripod in the industry. They are renowned for sturdiness, but also have a VERY sturdy price tag. Unlike normal Manfrotto tripods however, the Manfrotto Modo doesn't cost you your future babies. Infact, it only cost £60! It also has so many little features it keeps you entertained for days! In this picture you see it in the 'floorstanding' position.
If you twist the middle grey ring, it puts it into a different position mode. This allow you to splay the legs more of less. For example, it is now in the 'flat' position which allows you to get right under something (skirts?!)
It is now in the table top mode.
This is the ring for adjusting the position.
One of the nicest features is the tripod head. The dial that points to 'video' controls how much the head can turn. On video mode it can move left, right, up and down. If you put it into photo it moves 360 degrees. To lock/unlock the head you flick the trigger on the handle.
Thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a tri-pod!
Now we get on to the part you have been waiting for! Pictures of it in a working state! Admittedly it is only air cooling, but who cares!
I'm really pleased with the lighting, it is very subtle and is just what i wanted. I am glad i scrapped the UV!
A little squashed in there! I replaced the UV led in the board with a white LED to match the rest of the build.
Top of the box with the MNPCTech fan grill.
Front panel with the switches and dials. Looks perfect in my opinion!
This is my favourite photo so far! This has had NO editing except cropping! It just shows what a decent tri-pod, cheap softbox, table and bed sheet can do! Please don't be fooled by the perspective, it hasn't grown!
Well, that is it for a while until i get my watercooling bits back! I'm tired now after typing all that...
So yeah... it has been some time since an update! However, i hope the 57 images i have got for you make up for it!
I suppose i should explain whats been going on. As you probably guessed, i never had time to finish it before i left for christmas. In a mad rush to get it set up, i found out that the pump draws too many amps. It was too late however, it had already blown up the tracks on the PCB. At that point, i had 24 hours to finish the entire build before we left, and i needed to sleep at some point. I knew it was never going to happen so i gave up and just took my iMac with me on holiday.
Just before christmas, i sold my previous scratch build, The Bloo Box. This unfortunately got damaged by the blessed Royal Mail. The back acrylic panel got cracked and the 4870 1GB was damaged somehow. This kind of put a dampening on my modding spirits. Luckily the buyer was nice and we got it sorted out. I still have a borked 4870 sitting infront of me though...
After coming back from Devon, i had 2 weeks before school and exams. Even though i was still missing the powdercoated parts and white tubing for the build, i decided to assemble it and get it running. This went quite well and showed up a few issues that needed to be resolved for when i rebuilt it for the last time. There were issues with tubing kinking etc, i ended up having a loop of tube sticking out the motherboard I/O shield!
I should mention, during this time i blew up the cd drive by putting 12v through it instead of 5. Oops!
The rig ran well for 5 days, then one morning it wouldn't turn on properly. It would power up then instantly turn off. When i got home later that day i took the sides off and after much looking around , noticed Feser One all over the motherboard! I instantly ripped the rig apart and got everything out as carefully as i could. 4 hours, a whole box of cotton buds, some UV lights and alot of swearing, i got the mobo running again! I was incredibly lucky!
After the horror, i set up the Swiftech Apogee in a loop on its own. (for those who don't know, it is a pump/cpu block combo). After a few minutes, the top was really warm to touch. After 10 minutes, it was very hot, the tubing was soft and i burnt my finger on the CPU block! There was also a slow drip of coolant coming out of a join in the block. Obviously faulty.
I was then cleaning out the rad in the sink when i noticed water dripping out of the rad where it shouldn't. Upon further inspection, i noticed what looked like a dodgy braze on one corner. This hadn't actually caused the motherboard dampness, since the radiator was orientated so no coolant was coming out the hole. However, this has to be returned too now!
A week later after my first exam, my white tubing and Thermochill EC6 coolant turned up. Along with that came the powdercoated bits from Marcus! I was so chuffed with the job he had done i decided to put the rig back together but on air. This went well, until it decided to not post anymore...
So now for pictures!
They have been on two month journey from Hong Kong... during this time they fight fierce tiger, growling bear and evil iphone... ok i digress, either way they took ages to get here!
More of the fan control knobs
Got the switches wired up with white sleeving
Looks like some kind of weird snake! These are all the LED connections from the UV LED bar.
LED bar. This was scrapped due to it making the smoked acrylic go a horrible brown colour.
It lines up!
Here are the acrylic cubes drilled, tapped and glued into the corners. They measure 10mmx10mm!
Shmexy case feet from MNPCTech! They suite the build so perfectly!
Here you can see the Front designs showing through the smoked acrylic.
Got my knobs on!
Set up the PSU for a lighting test.
Believe it or not, there are only the LEDs from the fan and one LED on the custom PCB making all that light!
Really sets off the sponsor panel
Front fan grill designs
These are some dodgy pictures (and the only pictures) i took of the pc setup for the first time!
At this point i had the GPU out so i could get everything in easily. As you can see, it is VERY cramped!
Psu running without the top on. Managed to electrocute myself a fair few times!
All up and running! Here you can see it on my new Hi-Fi stand with my new audio setup. Cambridge Audio 640A V2, a pair of Q-Acoustic 1020i's and an Eltax Atomic A8 sub. Sounds amazing!
Puts a bit of scale on it doesn't it!
We now jump to after the leak. Here is the powdercoated stuff from Marcus! MASSIVE props to him, the powdercoat is brilliant! Here is the motherboard i/o, absolutely perfect fit.
Enermax Cluster with powdercoated white inner ring.
Thanks to Enermax for the keyboard and fans!
Motherboard all prepped for air cooling.
Power supply with the powdercoated top on. Looks brilliant! Sorry for the yellow tint, my white balance was set on shade for some reason...
4670 1gb with powdercoated white PCI backplate.
More of the powersupply
The powdercoat is thinner than i thought, all the details are still there.
Roccat Sponsorship arrived! (finally! Their post department put the wrong address on so it went back to them lol). This is the Roccat Arvo slimline gaming keyboard. The box is surprisingly small!
Inside we find a cardboard frame holding the keyboard in place. I thought there was more keyboard being hidden by the cardboard, but no...
... its so small! I was really surprised! (inb4 thats what she said). The arvo is only 17cm deep at the deepest part. It fits perfectly anywhere, particularly infront of a keyboard i found. The design has been considered carefully so it is not too over the top, but it still feels special. The cut corners and interesting Escape key add to the 'gaming' side of the keyboard, along with the illuminated arrow keys. One way space has been saved is buy combining the numpad with the arrow keys, delete home ins and page keys and two programmable macro keys. To change between the numbers and the other keys, you hit the mode button which is at the very top right of the keyboard. This works rather well. The first thing i checked was that it worked right when in the BIOS. It did, and had no hiccups whatsover. They have really pulled that feature off well.
A nice addition for any game really are these thumb buttons. They are positioned perfectly so you can hit them with your space-bar thumb easily and quickly. The middle one has a raised dot so you know which is which when you are being a hardcore gamer sitting in the dark at 3am in the morning high on coffee and smelling of... i digress again.
Here you can see the interesting escape key and the even more innovative function keys. Roccat has positioned them so that they 'hang' off the back. This may ring alarm bells of 'unstable keys', but they work really well. They are in the exact same position as normal, but are just adapted to use the space better. It also makes the keyboard look much nicer and more modern.
The only other key features are the flip out feet which feel nice and solid unlike other keyboards and the rubber pads. These are really grippy and they even have them on the flip out feet, something alot of keyboards lack. It also helps reduce noise when typing.
Overall i give the Roccat Arvo a 10/10!
Here we have the Roccat Sota granulated mouse mat. It was a lot larger than i imagined!
An interesting, although not very useful feature is the ability to see what the surface and base of the mat feel like. I don't really see the point in this, since i have never seen Roccat products on the shelf, and on the internet you can't actually touch things... if only you could... it would make certain things much more 'interactive'... i digress again!
My main issue with the Sota and i have thought this the moment i opened the box from Roccat is the packaging. The mat is encased in a plastic shell which has been heated around the edges to make one of those horrible plastic cases that you can only open with scissors and ends up cuttting your hands to bits the more you cut it open. It also means the Sota takes up an unprescedented amount of space during shipping. It measures nearly 50cm x 30cm with the packaging! I just don't understand their choice in this packaging. The mat is flexible, so why not roll it up in a tube? The last issue with the packaging is the proximity of the glued edge where you have to cut to the mouse mat. It took me a few minutes to get it open because i was so anxious about cutting into the mouse mat. You can just imagine it... little Timmy gets a Sota for his birthday. He hurriedly opens it up with scissors when disaster strikes! The sota has been decapitated due to dodgy packaging!
Anyway, back to the real world. Roccat needs to do something about that. It is the only thing letting it down!
The actual mat itself is brilliant. The surface is perfect, it grips well, it is the perfect size and it even has funky corners that match the Arvo keyboard.
Here you can see that it is flexible (hint to Roccat: put it in a tube!)
Overall i give the Sota an 8/10, due to the bad packaging.
We now move onto the Roccat Kone. I have always admired this mouse, and was really pleased when Roccat agreed to it. The box is minimalist in comparison to some companies like Razer. It gives you the facts about it and shows off a bit at the same time with a HUGE list of awards it has won!
They have included one of those silly flaps on the front which, again, seem like something more appropriate for on-the-shelf products, not non-touchable internet products. They might have well has sent it in plain brown box, it would make no difference to me in the long run. Still, its makes for a nice photo
Inside the inner box we have an inner plastic box inside an inner plastic bag... yeah everything is inside of something. We also have some software and some useless bits of paper telling me about some case study of a place at some coordinates... come on... i'm not 12...
A REALLY nice addition to the product is this intriguing box.
Inside we have a set of weights for the mouse ranging from 5g (preinstalled) up to 25g. We also have a driver cd in the other half, although i can't stand mini cds. The amount of times my mum tries to put them in her laptop's slotloading drive and i have to get it out...
Then we move on to the stunning piece of craftmanship itself. It really is gorgeous to look at. It is the only mouse i find more attractive than my iMac's mouse, the Logitech MX Revolution.
The lighting is so nice, much nicer than the Razer alternatives. The software allows you to change the colour of every LED, set them to flashing, change colour, pulsate etc. You can turn them off individually too, or all off.
My current light setting.
The mouse is a dream to use. It runs amazingly well on the Roccat Sota mouse mat. I always find it interesting to see if companies can make other products that compliment existing ones they make, and they have pulled it off well here. I have personally settled on the 5g weight, although i may change to 10g.
The software for the Kone is absolutely brilliant. It is easy to navigate, bug-free and doesn't look like some illegal satanic control panel designed to carefully and precisely torture people like the Razer software.
I give the Kone a 9.5/10, losing the 0.5 due to the few things in the packaging and also the weird diagonal line in the palm rest.
The last few photos were taken with my late christmas present from my godfather. It is a Manfrotto tripod
In particular, the Manfrotto Modo. For those of you who aren't photographers/who are photographers who are both blind and deaf, Manfrotto make some of the best and most respected tripod in the industry. They are renowned for sturdiness, but also have a VERY sturdy price tag. Unlike normal Manfrotto tripods however, the Manfrotto Modo doesn't cost you your future babies. Infact, it only cost £60! It also has so many little features it keeps you entertained for days! In this picture you see it in the 'floorstanding' position.
If you twist the middle grey ring, it puts it into a different position mode. This allow you to splay the legs more of less. For example, it is now in the 'flat' position which allows you to get right under something (skirts?!)
It is now in the table top mode.
This is the ring for adjusting the position.
One of the nicest features is the tripod head. The dial that points to 'video' controls how much the head can turn. On video mode it can move left, right, up and down. If you put it into photo it moves 360 degrees. To lock/unlock the head you flick the trigger on the handle.
Thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a tri-pod!
Now we get on to the part you have been waiting for! Pictures of it in a working state! Admittedly it is only air cooling, but who cares!
I'm really pleased with the lighting, it is very subtle and is just what i wanted. I am glad i scrapped the UV!
A little squashed in there! I replaced the UV led in the board with a white LED to match the rest of the build.
Top of the box with the MNPCTech fan grill.
Front panel with the switches and dials. Looks perfect in my opinion!
This is my favourite photo so far! This has had NO editing except cropping! It just shows what a decent tri-pod, cheap softbox, table and bed sheet can do! Please don't be fooled by the perspective, it hasn't grown!
Well, that is it for a while until i get my watercooling bits back! I'm tired now after typing all that...
lillimon04
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
- Messages
- 3,770
Wow man, this mod is jaw dropping. I really wish I had your talents.
Update #21
Ok so the original ETA of the 14th is not gonna happen! I managed to wire up my CD drive and fan up the wrong way and something blew up and burnt in each one. I have fixed the CD drive (one of the tracks had exploded - i think it is a build in safety measure) by soldering it up again and it now works! However the enermax cluster is well and truly dead except for the LEDs. I also realised that with two drives it is necessary to use right angle sata cables. However i still have an update for you!
My dead 4670 got replaced with a 5670! Thanks eBuyer.
XFX have done a really nice job on the aesthetic design. The nickel plated backplate, black heatsink cover and black pcb really go well together.
The fan is very very quiet during operation. It also runs ridiculously cool! I am running at 3% fan speed and it loads out at 50C.
And with a nice aluminium background.
XFX even nickel-plated the X-clamp!
My original pics didn't do Duniek's block justice.
I bought a few more fittings so when i come to assembling it for the last time i have some options as to how i run the tubing.
I love black velvet as a backdrop!
The sweetest fitting i have ever owned! It is a Bitspower black shining rotary T.
Should have polished it first.
White 1/2" OD tubing.
White coils.
Unfortunately my custom PCB decided it would be fun to die. So I bought in a load of coloured 2pin and 3pin connectors to replace the PCB. Yes, that means no fan control now, unfortunately.
Purple is the pump, red is the CD drive and the two white ones are the two fans.
Finally, I bought a 320GB WD Scorpio Black 7200RPM 2.5" laptop drive. Fastest i could get for a reasonable price.
I am now just waiting for a replacement fan and some sata cables!
Ok so the original ETA of the 14th is not gonna happen! I managed to wire up my CD drive and fan up the wrong way and something blew up and burnt in each one. I have fixed the CD drive (one of the tracks had exploded - i think it is a build in safety measure) by soldering it up again and it now works! However the enermax cluster is well and truly dead except for the LEDs. I also realised that with two drives it is necessary to use right angle sata cables. However i still have an update for you!
My dead 4670 got replaced with a 5670! Thanks eBuyer.
XFX have done a really nice job on the aesthetic design. The nickel plated backplate, black heatsink cover and black pcb really go well together.
The fan is very very quiet during operation. It also runs ridiculously cool! I am running at 3% fan speed and it loads out at 50C.
And with a nice aluminium background.
XFX even nickel-plated the X-clamp!
My original pics didn't do Duniek's block justice.
I bought a few more fittings so when i come to assembling it for the last time i have some options as to how i run the tubing.
I love black velvet as a backdrop!
The sweetest fitting i have ever owned! It is a Bitspower black shining rotary T.
Should have polished it first.
White 1/2" OD tubing.
White coils.
Unfortunately my custom PCB decided it would be fun to die. So I bought in a load of coloured 2pin and 3pin connectors to replace the PCB. Yes, that means no fan control now, unfortunately.
Purple is the pump, red is the CD drive and the two white ones are the two fans.
Finally, I bought a 320GB WD Scorpio Black 7200RPM 2.5" laptop drive. Fastest i could get for a reasonable price.
I am now just waiting for a replacement fan and some sata cables!
lillimon04
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
- Messages
- 3,770
Wow, this is looking great. Love the color scheme.
Thanks guys
Update #23 - Project Complete!
It has been a bumpy long ride of 9 months since this project started! There have been so many set backs it is unreal. I have finally overcome the curse that has plagued me for the past few months, and i now present to you:
MiniMe - The World's Smallest Watercooled PC!
It just remains for me to thank my sponsors:
And invite you all to check out my new project, POLARity!
http://hardforum.com:80/showthread.php?t=1501949
Update #23 - Project Complete!
It has been a bumpy long ride of 9 months since this project started! There have been so many set backs it is unreal. I have finally overcome the curse that has plagued me for the past few months, and i now present to you:
MiniMe - The World's Smallest Watercooled PC!
It just remains for me to thank my sponsors:
And invite you all to check out my new project, POLARity!
http://hardforum.com:80/showthread.php?t=1501949
lillimon04
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
- Messages
- 3,770
Didnt you sell it?