Bärsärkar-gång: SFF Low Power Water Cooled

There are several variants with letters. The IN-15s are the only ones that I've found with V,W, and A on it in the Russian ones.

The gent in Hong Kong may sell kits. I bought the clock assembled and compared to other clocks it was very reasonable ($170 shipped from Hong Kong).

His email address is on the pcb image linked
http://www.crystalradio.cn/bbs/attachments/huiguang/DSCN3833_.jpg
PM me if you cannot read it.

A kit may be up your alley if your skills are better than mine at SMD soldering. Take a look at his worklog on what's entailed.

http://www.crystalradio.cn/bbs/thread-155386-1-1.html

...yeah, that's way above my skill level when it comes to surface mount stuff. That's a shame. Beautiful clock, though, I may try to save up for the fully assembled version. No case on something that runs that kind of voltage is a little worrisome, but if turning off your alarm clock in the morning doesn't involve some risk to life and limb, how [H] is that?

Love me some nixie tubes...

I read through this whole thread yesterday, and was so upset to reach the end! Your work and dedication are truly inspiring. And the strength of good solder never ceases to amaze me

I have to imagine this is not your first project working so extensively with brass? I used to take classes in a machine shop where we had our own foundry and could melt down and cast brass, it was quite a fun experience.

silent-circuit said:

No case on something that runs that kind of voltage is a little worrisome, but if turning off your alarm clock in the morning doesn't involve some risk to life and limb, how [H] is that?

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Heh, I once had trouble waking up....once.

@deff, they are a very cool rabbit hole to fall in for awhile.

Thanks yottabit, I'm learning as I go and getting better slowly. I've done sand casting of aluminum but never brass. Maybe in the next mod

Arise worklog! Arise I command thee!


That's right, its not just a post that goes bump in the night but a real life, honest to goodness update.
I would like to tell you a harrowing tale of my escape from alien captvity but the truth is much less exciting. I've mostly been trading time for money or as its commonly known, working.
Any free time that I've had has gone to making a photobooth for a friend's wedding. Much like this mod, it was a project that took on a life of its own.

Here it is on site being tested by one of the wedding guests. It was designed based on an instructables that I found. As the wedding was half way across the country, it had to be disassembeld and re-assembled for the event. A great deal of PVC later, we had a mobile photo booth that could hold 10 people at a time.

And the happy couple. Yes, there were costumes and much fun was had by all. But enough about that! Back to the modding.

The meter? Remember the meter? No? Allow me to recap, this is the meter that is interfaced with the motherboard to display temperature, HD capacity, ram usage, cpu load….anything really that an arduino can be be coerced into outputting.
Finally got it finished.

After several attempts at painting the etched brass back, I finally got close to the look that I was chasing. Aged, weathered, and a little abused.

Looking back at the orginal cracked and peeling paint, it’s a little exagerated but I'm happy with it. This is what the meter looked like before.

Completed the wire sleeving using paracord. It's a pain in the butt to sleeve with but I like the contrasting look. I had to run two sleeves due to the number of wire. Still need to complete a final test and tighten up the threads under the supporting arm but that can wait for final assembly.

Changing topics, here's the original design for the motherboard tray.

And the laser cut brass piece. What's missing is the support brace on the back.

Revision 1 mocked up in polystyrene from the last decade

I've been dancing around what to do about this piece because the tolerances in the case are so tight. When I taped everything together, I could foresee some clearance trouble brewing.

As originally sketched up, The tolerance were already tight. Part of the challenge is getting everything to fit. I think it all will fit but I don't *know* it.

To counteract some of the unknown, the back mount is meant to slide. Yes, it’s a cheat but don’t judge me too harshly my sketchup-foo was/is weak. Literally, an 1/8" makes a difference, more on that below.,

My first attempts went pear shaped quickly with a propane torch. My skills at hard soldering were not up to task. As with most things in life though, I blamed my tools instead. With a newly acquired MAPP and oxygen torch in hand, I tried again. By sandwiching the brass between firebricks, I was able to raise the temp of the piece and get the silver solder to finally flow.

The discoloration is from heat and the borax flux.

Up close, not as pretty as it should be but I'm well pleased.

Into the pickle for clean-up. Anyone know what I'm making when I mix Sodium Bisulfate with Hydrogen Peroxide?

I'm assuming some variant of sulfuric acid as its much more aggressive than sodum bisulfate alone but the upside is that it doesn't turn the brass pink like normal pickle.

Oh, yeah, I love it when a plan comes together. Still needs further grinding and polishing but it'll work.

The "stack" is still tight.

The original plan had the brass fan grill fush against the back of the case. The design changed when I gutted the heater case and discovered the need for a new frame to support the case skin.

The rails that you see that arc over the top are that frame. To gain back the 1/8" that I lost with the addition of the rails.

I notched them so the fan grill would fit in between and then soldered the fan grill in place using soft solder. After filing and sanding, I got my 1/8" back.

With the fan and radiator fixed in place, I was able to finally lock down where the motherboard tray fits. A little drill and tap action and voila…

It's starting to look more like a computer. By the way how do you like the brass/bronze washer combo on the screws? I'm thinking about carrying that look across the case.

Oh look, a wild Big Daddy appears. For reference, the figure is about 7 inches tall.

Thanks for looking and many thanks to my sponsors!
Bitspower

Galaxy

HardwareLabs

I think I need to re-read the earlier posts to remind myself why I liked it so much initially. But, I'm glad to see this thread revived. Welcome back.

The progress looks good.

Finally, another update! Glad to see you're still here.

Moar.

silent-circuit said:

Moar.

Click to expand...

qft

Wahoomcdaniel said:

I think I need to re-read the earlier posts to remind myself why I liked it so much initially. But, I'm glad to see this thread revived. Welcome back.

The progress looks good.

Click to expand...

Thanks Wahoo, good to be back.

xDezor said:

Finally, another update! Glad to see you're still here.

Click to expand...

Still here

silent-circuit said:

Moar.

Click to expand...

ekuest said:

qft

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Alright, since you asked. I've had these squirreled away for awhile almost since the beginning of the mod. I was saving these for later but what the hey.

On the front of the original case was a painted, brass logo that spelled out Arvin (the manufacturer of the heater whose case I am having my way with right now). That logo gave me an idea for my own logo which spawned a few other ideas.







Sup [H]?

So glad to see this continuing! Looking awesome, as usual.

This is by far one of the most exciting casemods I have ever seen! Almost reminds me of seeing Piloux's work back in the days.... :'- )

cnealjr said:

So glad to see this continuing! Looking awesome, as usual.

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Thanks cnealjr! Me too, its sat on the shelf too long.

Big SturL said:

This is by far one of the most exciting casemods I have ever seen! Almost reminds me of seeing Piloux's work back in the days.... :'- )

Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for the compliment! Piloux's Black Mesa is amazing. I'm not in the same league but thank you none the less.

Aside: if you're asking yourself who Pilloux is, get thee to Google now!

Projects like these are why I love case modding and scratch builds. Even if they take a few years until completion

Nice...[H}ard forum

SWEET JESUS!!!!!!

That's_Corporate said:

SWEET JESUS!!!!!!

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Seconded.

I like this better than Black Mesa.

Wow. Um... er... umm... yeah, just wow.

Sorry, I don't know any words that are awesome enough here. "Holy crap" doesn't come anywhere near touching this stuff. I'm just awestruck, pretty much literally.

I love Bioshock. This absolutely made my day seeing that someone is doing a mod with parts from the city of "Rapture"

Simply amazing. You sir are gifted. There's skill, but you have vision that I couldn't see developing. I commend thee, you certainly show that you not only have handy work, but your attention to detail is simply unmatched.

I can't wait to see the end of this one.

Amazing and inspiring work

Very impressed with your work so far and looking forward to seeing the finished product. Also hoping I can help you get your brass and copper soldering down a bit easier.

First your pickle, go get yourself a cheap crock pot because cold sulfuric acid pickle works like crud and leaves crud in turn. I cant remember what my teach uses in his rinse bath but if I'm not mistaken its just baking soda in water but plain water will work fine, and as you know always use tongs, preferably copper because steel will cause rust to grow, even in the pickle oxidation and brass or copper does nasty things I know from experience.

Second is your heat source, if you want to continue this past one project go get a single gas jewelers torch or a micro torch for an oxy acetylene rig. A burnzomatic or equivalent plumbers torch will work in a pinch as well if your budgets really tight. Take your fire bricks and use them as your base, for what your doing hard firebrick would be ideal beings it reflects more heat back into your work.

Third is surface prep, you don't have to lap the metal but getting it as smooth and flat as possible is key to a good joint. Use a hard sanding block of some sort and take it down to at least 120 grit if not 180. Wash your parts, drying thoroughly isnt necessary obviously if your ready to go to the heat immediately. The next big step for a joint that large is flux, a good paste makes it lots easier and beings your using a pickle its easy enough to remove. Paste flux puffs up before it flows out so dont expect your solder to stay in one place.

Finally is soldering, on large flats of thick material like your doing with the water block Id recommend going layer by layer and flowing the solder all over your surface, silver solder shouldn't have much more heat retention than copper so having the inside surfaces pristine wont be a concern I dont believe. Start with hard solder wire and turn it into about a hundred little flakes of solder, spreading it out in your flux prior to heating then heat the piece of metal evenly moving your torch consistently until you have it flowed out all over your surface, if it doesn't want to flow to an area, get that spot hotter, good old capillary action will do the rest. Let it cool, make a sandwich of the solder with a layer of flux in between it and your next layer and continue as such until you have your layering finished, then pickle. If you plan on adding surface area to the inside of the block by adding channels or grooves to your plates simply paint around them with the flux leaving an eighth inch bare between your desired joint and the added features and the solder will only go where the flux is.

Well that was long winded, but that's a very basic rundown from my years of metalsmithing experience at fixing the issues you've been having using the approach as I've gathered from the pics. I think temperature is your major issue along with surface prep possibly. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, I know little finishing tricks and all that good stuff as well.

me likey, me want moar, feed me moar!

doing a great job sir! also they sell pre-made water proof Dallas digital temp sensors now on some of the arduino parts sites

Woah, I've been gone too long. Sorry for the lack of response.

Elledan said:

Projects like these are why I love case modding and scratch builds. Even if they take a few years until completion

Click to expand...

Thanks Elledan Years? You betcha.

formula409 said:

Nice...[H}ard forum

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Thanks! It was a fun little rabbit hole to fall down.

That's_Corporate said:

SWEET JESUS!!!!!!

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Glad you like it!

mannyman said:

Seconded.

I like this better than Black Mesa.

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Alright then, thanks for the compliment!... and stay tuned.

starhawk said:

Wow. Um... er... umm... yeah, just wow.

Sorry, I don't know any words that are awesome enough here. "Holy crap" doesn't come anywhere near touching this stuff. I'm just awestruck, pretty much literally.

Click to expand...

Thank you starhawk, I'm just following the mod to where ever it takes me but I'm very glad that you like it.

reaper_1994 said:

I love Bioshock. This absolutely made my day seeing that someone is doing a mod with parts from the city of "Rapture"

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Me too reaper_1994. I'll love the back story of the game and the art that went into creating it. I find myself trying to imagine how the parts or this mod would have been created in a setting like Rapture.

stiltner said:

Simply amazing. You sir are gifted. There's skill, but you have vision that I couldn't see developing. I commend thee, you certainly show that you not only have handy work, but your attention to detail is simply unmatched.

I can't wait to see the end of this one.

Click to expand...

Thank you stiltner. I'm beginning to get a little itchy to finish it myself. I've got a few more experiments to go though.

WiSK said:

Amazing and inspiring work

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Thanks WiSK!

omegatotal said:

me likey, me want moar, feed me moar!

doing a great job sir! also they sell pre-made water proof Dallas digital temp sensors now on some of the arduino parts sites

Click to expand...

Thank you and thanks for the tip. We'll see how my resin encased one holds up but good to know that a prefabbed one exists.

Lurch7 said:

Awesome advice from Lurch

Click to expand...

Thanks Lurch. Great advice! It confirmed what I did almost 100% but don't take my word for it read on. This updates for you.

Few operations in decorative metal work are more important than hard or silver-soldering. The process of brazing is quite similar; it is used for larger articles and the solder is an alloy of copper and zinc, called spelter.

Silver solder is made up of silver and brass in varying proportions according to the melting point desired. It can be obtained in wire or sheet form, the latter being most popular. The flux used for hard-soldering consists of powdered borax ground with enough water to make a creamy paste.

-Decorative Metal Work, Popular Science Monthly 1936




----------

I'm still alive and I have a little, but significant, progress to report. Remember the NB block? The one that leaked like a sieve after the silver and propane burner experiment.




After those experiments failed, I went back to the drawing board. I read up on the making of mokume gane. If anyone is interested, the papers by James Binnion are an interesting read. What they told me was, it is possible to get repeatable results with metal fusing but the tools, like a hydraulic press and inconel molds were probably outside of my price range. Anyone want to buy a used kiln?

After a call to the local metal smith left me with no solution, I took a different tack.



One that is likely obvious to most in the HVAC field. I found this gentleman's website which helped quite a bit. He's local to Houston and sells a training video online. One order later, I had a plan as well as an idea where I was going wrong.

I had been using a high silver content solder, the same stuff that is used by jewelers. It didn't flow as well as I would have liked. From the video, I was recommended this. Its a silver brazing alloy that is used for HVAC systems for joining dissimilar metals. Its 45% silver, 27% copper, 25% zinc, and 3% tin. On to the modding.



The parts sanded and cleaned.



The top was brazed first so I could still tap the threads. Not sure if this was necessary as the Bitspower threads are very short. I bolted the two corners together to hold the plates in place.



Fluxing the inside of the block and heating it to a dull red with a propane/oxygen torch, the solder flowed quite well. You can see where the silver flowed between the plates on the outside edge.



The holes in the block look pretty good with full flow on the silver. Here, they still need to be tapped. I was worried about annealing the brass (and copper) but it was a non-issue.



I tapped them with my mini drill press (the Cheaps pattened method) by putting the 1/4" tap in the chuck, unlocking the head of the press so it was resting on the block, and turning the chuck by hand. It worked much better than hand tapping. The threads are straight and it was fast.



The chamber will be fairly restrictive as you can see from the clearance. I'm winging it so we'll see how it works. Conventional wisdom says the performance would increase with pins or other turbulence building obstructions. The NB doesn't need a whole lot of cooling so it'll be a straight shot through the block.



The 1/8" copper was cut over-sized to be trimmed after.



The first time around, bolting the block together worked well so I drilled 2 more holes.



And bolted each corner down. The holes were lined with brass tubing to keep the solder out of the screw holes. I should put whiteout to act as a solder resist but forgot it. Two of the screws had to be drilled out after.



The final product after brazing. I fluxed the outside of the block this time and for good measure hit the threads again. It still needs a final polish but I wanted to make sure it held before I did that. As you can see there is some discoloration between the layers. Some pickle should clear that up.



The extra holes were filled with the button head hex screws that I'm using throughout the mod. They're decorative and were sanded flush on the bottom.



How's it work? Well it holds pressure. Using my ghetto pressure tester ( a bicycle pump and a pan of water), the only air bubble (singular) that I saw was at the seal of the Bitspower plug. It was only one and it didn't move so the block gets a pass.
Especially since,



I don't plan to run the loop at 40 psi.



For the hold down screws, I silver soldered 3mm threaded rod to a button headed screw.



When its mounted, the screw heads will look the same.



I dropped it next to the CPU block to check it out. With more polishing and the sand blasted design in place, I can tick the box on the NB block and move on to the water block for the video card. But before doing that, the CPU block screws are bugging me.



I've also wanted to experiment with 3d printing over at Shapeways.com



Its a very cool way to make parts in metal or plastic. You draw them in Sketchup, export and upload the model and 14 days later.



Your part shows up. Here's the part printed in bronze which can be soldered.



I was very impressed by the detail.



The part is about 3/4" high. Unfortunately, it was a little too big.



Here's prototype #2 in plastic impregnated with aluminum powder.



Side by side comparison with prototype #1. I need to tweak the design again to take the 3mm threaded insert.



So that's all that I have for now. I've got mixed feeling about my progress. Not exactly how I wanted to put the blocks together but I'll take the results.

Next up is the GPU block. It'll be a little more challenging. I'll post some flame thrower pics next time around. More soon…

Thanks for staying tuned in and many thanks to my sponsors!

Bitspower


Galaxy


HardwareLabs

wow, i REALLY like the look of that bronze printed handle. i hope something like that makes it into the final mod. excellent work on the NB block too. it may not be how you originally intended, but it looks fantastic and really fits with the theme i think.

Love it!

I wish you'd continue on with the story telling about the barsarkar gangers. Really enjoyed reading the excerpts from your mysterious books. They were sort of like a bed-time story for me.

good grief, I looked at this build...like...MONTHS ago

it just gets more and more intricate

amazing work, but will it ever be "done"

Very very nice progress, I love the retention nuts and that process is a heck of a lot easier than casting, Ill have to keep it in mind if I ever want to do multiples of parts in brass.

Always happy to help, I had a feeling the heat was the major factor you were fighting and clearly you've made it past that hurdle. Just in case you had to pay out the nose for that solder paste, wire or sheet solder is composed of just about the same ratios, the paste is easier to work with Ive heard but haven't played with it myself.

And as far as the mokume goes an oxy/acetylene torch, an angle iron cube lined with hard fire bricks with a viewing port and a heating port drilled into them, along with a big fn hammer will get you there with small pieces....its a bit harrowing but it works.

Yes, thanks to my crazy teacher I could write a book on the poor mans guide to metal smithing, like anyone who tells you a brake drum doesn't make a good blacksmiths forge is lying to you, I have work to prove otherwise. Now I need to invest in some tools for home so I can start building crazy enclosures as well. I must say your work has me inspired.

The NB block looks great to me & more importantly, you made one leak proof.
I had known that you could 3d print in plastic; the bronze 3d printing is perfect for this mod.

Still enjoying this build years into the process. And yes, flame pics would be great.

Holy building-skills Batman!

How did I not see this before?

I saw reference to Houston. Are you a local? If so, what part? Pasadena, here.

StatutoryApe said:

I saw reference to Houston. Are you a local? If so, what part? Pasadena, here.

Click to expand...

Hmm woodlands here.

I'm about to move to the woodlands, most likely.

The 3D printed valves are awesome

StatutoryApe said:

I saw reference to Houston. Are you a local? If so, what part? Pasadena, here.

Click to expand...

mannyman said:

Hmm woodlands here.

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Yes, Houston, just barely tho. Outside the beltway on the west side.

_PixelNinja said:

Holy building-skills Batman!

How did I not see this before?

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Thanks PixelNinja! I've been in stealth mode for almost a year so it got pushed to the back pages.

Wahoomcdaniel said:

The NB block looks great to me & more importantly, you made one leak proof.
I had known that you could 3d print in plastic; the bronze 3d printing is perfect for this mod.

Still enjoying this build years into the process. And yes, flame pics would be great.

Click to expand...

Thanks Wahoo, done. I'll make sure to setup the camera and put it on timer. Things get a little exciting when the flame starts up so I'm always bad about getting pics.

Lurch7 said:

Very very nice progress, I love the retention nuts and that process is a heck of a lot easier than casting, Ill have to keep it in mind if I ever want to do multiples of parts in brass.

Always happy to help, I had a feeling the heat was the major factor you were fighting and clearly you've made it past that hurdle. Just in case you had to pay out the nose for that solder paste, wire or sheet solder is composed of just about the same ratios, the paste is easier to work with Ive heard but haven't played with it myself.

And as far as the mokume goes an oxy/acetylene torch, an angle iron cube lined with hard fire bricks with a viewing port and a heating port drilled into them, along with a big fn hammer will get you there with small pieces....its a bit harrowing but it works.

Yes, thanks to my crazy teacher I could write a book on the poor mans guide to metal smithing, like anyone who tells you a brake drum doesn't make a good blacksmiths forge is lying to you, I have work to prove otherwise. Now I need to invest in some tools for home so I can start building crazy enclosures as well. I must say your work has me inspired.

Click to expand...

Thanks Lurch7, the plastic parts will burn out if you're doing lost wax. Yeah heat was a problem. In part due to my adhoc kiln but als0 because of uneven heating. I was picking up bridging in one part of the block with the hard silver while the other side was molten. In retrospect, an oxygen free environment like a sealed kiln with oxygen reducing environment would work but it would have been less than predictable.

I've played with the paste but like you said you can make your own and it works just as well. I'm still intrigued by the mokume gane but that'll wait for a future mod. I'd like to see pics/plans for that brake drum forge.

jojo69 said:

good grief, I looked at this build...like...MONTHS ago

it just gets more and more intricate

amazing work, but will it ever be "done"

Click to expand...

Yeah it went into hibernation for awhile...my work/life balance is still a little out of whack. It does have a finish point. I still have one major technical hurdle to cross but most of the "learn as you go" bits are out of the way. Part of the reason I mod is it gives me a chance to try new techniques and materials. A lot of the "research" that I'm doing never shows up here. I'm running out of things to add so hopefully it'll come together faster.

xDezor said:

Love it!

I wish you'd continue on with the story telling about the barsarkar gangers. Really enjoyed reading the excerpts from your mysterious books. They were sort of like a bed-time story for me.

Click to expand...

Thanks xDezor! Yeah you're right. Paging back through, its been longer than I thought. Next update promise..

ekuest said:

wow, i REALLY like the look of that bronze printed handle. i hope something like that makes it into the final mod. excellent work on the NB block too. it may not be how you originally intended, but it looks fantastic and really fits with the theme i think.

Click to expand...

Thanks ekuest! Yes there will be bronze where the screws are now, very similar design to the aluminum ones. Just need to redo the design.

formula409 said:

The 3D printed valves are awesome

Click to expand...

Thanks formula409!

For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood a standing stone, a custom that remained long after Odin's time.
—The Ynglinga saga

Inscriped with runic script, runestones are monuments erected to mark the death of a warrior or great king. Most were erected between 950-1,100 CE with over 3,000 runestones found scattered across Scandinavia. The highest concentration can be found in Sweden but the Norsemen seeded runestones wherever they went. From the Black Sea to the Isle of Man, the vikings literally made their mark on history.
In recent times, discovery of runestones and runic inscriptions in North America have caused laymen and scholars alike to debate whether the Vikings discovered America before Christopher Columbus.


----------

Picking up where we left off, so the block I showed last time around developed some funky corrosion that I suspect is the pickle that got in between the layers. Not sure if that means that the join wasn't 100% but why chance it, eh?

To the mod-cave….

This time instead of two sides bolted down, let's try all four.

Bolted down and ready for some night soldering. The more observant may notices that this time the block is one layer thicker (obSpinalTap: this one is one louder). The white paint on the corners is paper correction fluid or White-out. It acts as a solder resist so the solder doesn't flow into the screw holes.

Warming the block up on a turntable fire brick mounted firebrick.

More heat



Getting there



Solder goes in. I'm using an easy flow silver solder this time.





















Solder was applied inside and out of the block.





You can see the silver solder wicking nicely up the side of the block.



The solder (65% silver) flows at 1325F (718C). I'm guessing from color that I may have spiked over that.

The color slowly fading.

Once cooled, drilling with a 11.8mm bit.

Then cutting the threads with a G1/4" tap. With the tap in the drill press chuck, I release the head and rest the tap on the brass.

Using a pipe wrench, I turn the drill chuck by hand.

Easy threads. At this point, imagine if you will , a lot more soldering in my shed during a torrential rain storm so no camera and no pics.

But through the magic of technology, NB block V3. Can you see the layers?



Next up sand blasting, hopefully

Cheescake shot

For next time….


Thanks for looking and many thanks to my sponsors!

Bitspower


Galaxy


HardwareLabs

you are a madman

They do say that genius and insanity are alike, jojo69

Very nice work, Mach! Might be your best piece of work so far