Bärsärkar-gång: SFF Low Power Water Cooled

[Mach]

From Wiki-pedia, "This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage...." (Fabing, p. 234)

Still in the planning/trying out parts phase but I figured I start up a worklog to get some feedback on the LC. I’m calling this one berserker-gang (berserker path) after the berserkers mentioned in Icelandic and Norse legend. Hopefully this mod will be as enigmatic as the berserkers were.

The design themes are a balance between size, power, and performance. Here’s the current parts list:

Zotac 9300 ITX Wifi
Intel E8400
Crucial Ballistix 2x2GB PC 6400 4-4-4-12
Corsair M64 SSD
Galaxy 9600GT LP LP
PW-200-V 200 Watt DC DC PSU
XBOX 360 203 Watt AC DC brick
Panasonic Slimline DVD Writer SATA slot loading
Swiftech Apogee GTZ block
Swiftech MCP350 12V Pump
HWlabs Black Ice GT Stealth 140 Unfinished (Thanks Willie!)

Plus a whole series of other bits and pieces along the way

And just because that no worklog update is complete without pics. Here’s the testing that I’ve been doing on the power supply. Findings below. How do you like my cutting board bench tester? Power is via the Xbox 360 power brick through the PW-200-V DC DC.

Watts
IGP - 35/80w
9600GT (idle/load) - 50/145w

3DMark06
IGP - 1866
9600GT - 10071

3DMark Vantage
IGP - E3966
9600GT E19085/P5006

And here's the plethora of elbows. The MB is mounted vertically and the radiator behind the MB. The video card is mounted in upside down reversed direction using a flexible PCI-E extender.

Updates are going to be slow until I get more of the water cooling planning worked out.

And on that note, I’m using numerous elbows (up to 12). Not ideal but necessary. I’m figuring that I am going to lose 10-15% of the flow rate, which negates any gains from the XPSC top. Assumption based on here.

Reasonable estimate? For each 120mm of radiator, the rule of thumb is 150 watts dissipated (varies with fan speed). Given the expected 200 watt, the 140mm rad paired with a Yate Loon 140mm medium (1400 RPM) should be ok?

Suggestions and advice welcome!

 

[Pzych0]

Swedish Bärsärkar-gång!!

 

[WhiteFireDragon]

looking forward to this build. maybe i missed it somehwere, but what case is this going into?? and for the power brick, did you take this from you xbox or did you buy a separate one? if so, where did you buy it?

 

[mrmylanman]

Iiiiiiiiinteresting

 

[Mach]

Yes, Pzych0 Swedish too

...what case is this going into?? and for the power brick, did you take this from you xbox or did you buy a separate one? if so, where did you buy it?

I'm still designing some elements so I'm going to keep the case a bit of mystery for now. It is a found case circa 1940 and measure 12x10x6" or 30x26x15cm.

The power supply was purchased used from ebay. I tried to buy one from Microsoft but they wanted an xbox serial number and power supply serial number before they would sell me one.

 

[WhiteFireDragon]

The power supply was purchased used from ebay. I tried to buy one from Microsoft but they wanted an xbox serial number and power supply serial number before they would sell me one.

did you have to mod your xbox power brick to fit since it has a 6-pin connector?

 

[brons2]

Sweet project. I am also curious to see about the case. I assume something WWII related considering it's from 1940.

 

[Mach]

did you have to mod your xbox power brick to fit since it has a 6-pin connector?

No I de-soldered a receptacle from a scrap xbox motherboard and wired to that. For the mod, I'll likely swap out an amphenol connector.

Here's the instructable that was used a guide:
http://www.instructables.com/id/XBOX-360-Power-Supply-to-12V-Accessory-Adapter/

 

[Mach]

Update 1 {in which the initial players as well as other parts are introduced}

In the 10th century, Christians characterized the Vikings as unclean, uneducated savages. Speculatively, as a way to justify their forced conversion to Christianity.

But the Icelandic and Norse histories reveal a people of intellect; who were industrious and fearless warriors with an eye towards expansion. Expansion that stretched from North America, across Europe, and even into the Middle East.

You could almost dismiss the Christian version as spin doctoring...if not for the Berserkers.

His men rushed forward without armour, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were as strong as bears or wild bulls, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon themselves. -Snorre Sturlasson, Ynglinga saga (c6)

---
While progress is slow and planning continues, I owe you an update. In my intro post, I showed you a little of how the internals would be arranged but I didn't show you the reservoir that will be mounted externally.

Take one brass blowtorch

A brass faucet from a cast iron bathtub particularly the knob

Shake the parts and strip the chrome

Voila!

Only problem is I need an inlet and an outlet

Only one here

Next update, madness banished(?) and one becomes more

 

[Mach]

The berserkers time was short lived. Within 300 years, they went from the most feared warriors of their time to legend. Part of their demise was a 1123 Christian law that made berserking punishable by banishment; that included anyone nearby who didn't restrain him until his berserk state wore off. It was an interesting law because it got rid of anyone who was a berserker plus anyone who may have been helping him to go berserk.

Which raises the questions, how do you help someone go berserk? And what if berserking was NOT caused by who or what they were but instead, something the berserker did?

....but I'm getting ahead of myself, that's the next update...back to the mod.
----
Picking up where we left off, you'll recall the dilemma regarding the inlet and outlet ports. Here's how one becomes more…

Cut out the original with a dremel high speed bit

Take a 2" 22 gauge brass circle

Light tap it into shape in the end of a 2 inch pipe

Drill starter holes for the saw blade

Jeweler's saw and file to complete the first hole

Second hole with relief cuts

Sleestak? Hmm…

Last night, a comedian died in New York? Maybe not…

Brass bushings or bushes. I've found that lamp suppliers are a wonderful place to get 1/4" BSPP hardware. No plumbing fittings but they do have nuts and bushings.

Bushings in place

Clamped for soldering. The middle tube is aluminum

I'm using Solder-it solder bearing paste.

Not too bad on the front

Helluvah mess on the back tho.

Expanded the hole in the bottom

Cleaned up the pieces for second round of soldering

Test fit. It'll work…

After clean-up, I'm not happy with the vugs around the neck of the bushings

So much for the new approach. I pulled out the silver solder and went medieval on it, tinning the entire backside. I got carried away with soldering and forgot to take pics but,

here's the end result after initial clean-up. Still needs to be leak tested and acid dipped. Not as clean as the first round but shouldn't leak (fingers crossed)

I lost all the patina in the pickle after solder. Don't worry I plan to put it back.

Need your opinion on fittings. Barbs?

Closeup

Compression fittings?

Again with Feser Acid Green tubing

Barbs with brass clamps and copper sleeving. I'll likely use the copper sleeving throughout but haven't devised a way to put it on with the compression fittings yet. I'm thinking about soldering on copper ferrules or using heatshrink.

What do you think?

Next time, "Wait til your berserker gets home"

 

[FrEaKy]

crap dude, its fantastic!

Sheesh..... thats good man!

Kinda sounds like im saying something bad than follow up with something good..... nah its not like that. Its good stuff dude!

 

[Mach]

Thanks FrEaKy, glad you like it.

 

[cnealjr]

Looking good! I like the copper mesh sleeving on your tubing.

 

[crazjayz]

I'm getting a steampunk-ish vibe from this build. Nice work!

 

[Pzych0]

Looking good!

Or "Ser jävligt bra ut!"

 

[Elledan]

Using items for purposes they were never designed for. Sounds like a great mod

 

[sduneman3]

Very Nice mod! I can't wait to see this project completed.

Have any renderings of the final design?

 

[subset7]

How did I miss this ,nice start Mach,i'll be watching this closely

 

[silent-circuit]

Watching, curious to see this case you're planning.

 

[boostdemon]

extra points for steampunk factor.

liking this project so far, i plan to build a w/c setup with size (small form factor) and sound (silent) in mind for a DAW (digital audio workstation). Interested to see how this comes out.

 

[Mach]

Thanks guys!

@Elledan: Exactly, I love the idea of putting something together out of found parts.

@cnealjr: Thanks, it's very cool stuff and had to be worked into this mod. They also do silver and gold.
http://www.themeshcompany.com/acatalog/Narrow-Stainless-Steel-Tubing.html

On the case, I have some renders done but I'm going to keep 'em under wraps until I make sure it all fits. Its the 90 degree fittings that are giving me problems right now. I'm trying to sort it with sketch-up now. How you guys draw compound curves in sketch-up is beyond me. But problems can present opportunities, I think I have a solution and to say that I'm grinning is an understatement. Stay tuned...

So as not to be a complete "mod-tease", while there are no leaks on the reservoir. I've got one other solder job on it and then I'll call it done.

I'm trying to work a temperature probe into the reservoir. Here's the first attempt at a mounting flange:

I got a little carried away trying to work an led into it. It was fun to make but its too long. I'll just go with the top ball fitting and the bottom hex nut when I solder it to the tank.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Yoy0YO]

Damn! This is definitely subscribe'd

 

[Mach]

Thanks Yoy0YO! Time for a new update...
---
Who were the berserkers? Nothing in the historical record shows that they were any different than other Vikings. They were men (interestingly, no mention of berserker women) who lived among other Vikings, raised families, and led what could be considered normal lives unless they went berserk unexpectedly. Then friend, foe, or family were at risk. The sagas cite several times where a berserker was overcome by their blood lust when working or playing a game. As did Skallagrim, who went berserk while playing a ball game with his son.

Skallagrim then became so strong and he caught up Thord and dashed him down so violently that he was all bruised and at once got his bane [died]. Then he seized Egil. Now there was a handmaid of Skallagrim's named Thorgerdr Brak, who had nursed Egil when a child; she was a big woman, strong as a man, and of magic cunning. Said Brak:

'Dost thou turn thy shape-strength, Skallagrim, against thy son?' Egil's Saga Chapter 40

Turns out, he didn't kill his son, Egil. He was too busy flinging Brak off a cliff before he snapped out of it. So, it seems that once a berserker was wired to the Bärsärkar-gång, he couldn't control it, and he couldn't "unwire" himself even if his family were at risk. What the hell did these guys do to themselves??

---

Back to the mod, the fitting that I was making in the last update is for the reservoir temperature probe. Rubidium over at RealRedRaider did an absolutely awesome tutorial on how to seal a Dallas One Wire sensor. Here's the hole for the flange (yes, I was wincing drilling that one.)

Flange, fitting and tube

Flange soldered in place. That's wet paper towels around the flange to keep from desoldering anything vital.

One wire sensor and tube

Same sensor from the side

Syringe loaded up with 3M potting resin

In place, waiting for resin

Sealed up with resin goodness

Get the idea? The tubing is flared to keep the sensor from falling in.

Mounting bracket drilled out for the fitting and wire in the copper tubing leading to the case.

On the subject of how the berserkers were wired, here's how this project is going to be wired. Lazy man's sleeving! Cloth covered wire. 16 gauge spark plug wire

20 gauge lamp cord in basic colors

Even more colors

18 gauge black. I'm leaning toward using green and black only.

Amphenol power plug and receptacle rated at 6 amps per pin IIRC

Sufficiently industrial looking no?

Bridged the connections with a short run to the DC-DC converter.

Finally broke down and bought a desoldering gun after getting jerked around on ebay.

The victim.

Works a treat. Had to massage the connector a little to get it to relent but very easy.

Back side shot. I'm going to solder the wires directly to the board and then to a 24 pin plug. Have you ever seen anyone successfully desolder an ATX receptacle and solder on the back of the motherboard? Advice and opinions would be appreciated on how silly an idea it is.

One of the things that I love about modding is the ridiculously talented people that you meet. Here's a couple of CPU waterblock tops that Duniek made. Check out his work if you get a chance.

Not only is he talented but he's an extremely nice guy when it comes to silly ass requests. I'm planning on using the copper with the brass hold down if I can get it all to fit. Thanks Duniek, amazing work!

Lastly, on the subject of truly great stand-up guys, take a look at this. Its an unfinished Hardware Labs Black Ice GT Stealth 140. It was loving pulled from the assembly line, wrapped with care, and shipped from the Philippines by Willie at HWLabs. For a CEO and President, he's an extremely patient man when it comes to silly ass requests. It's solid quality and will make a perfect addition to this project as its one of the thinner radiators going in the 140 size. If you need a new rad, check out their new SR-1 line-up.

(Thanks Willie! really, really appreciate it!)

On a more serious note, you may of heard of the double whammy typhoons that hit the Philippines recently. If you can spare a few bones, please think about throwing a tenner the Red Cross' way earmarked for the SE Asia disaster relief. It'll help some folks who are hurting and it'll make you feel good too...promise!

That's about it for this update. If you're digging the brass/copper direction this is going, then stay tuned. I have discovered a dusty bottle of awesome sauce. The next update will be soaking in it.

 

[Mach]

Advice and opinions would be appreciated on how silly an idea it is.

As it turns out pretty dang silly. Read on..

Emboldened by my success with the DC/DC converter, I attempted desoldering the motherboard this evening.

I tackled the 4 pin power connector first. Practically fell off the board with minor finessing.

All good!

Decided to take on the ATX connector next.

And I thought I had it too. Then things went sideways...

Scratch one motherboard.

Turns out the desoldering gun plugged off midway through but I didn't know it until after the damage was done. Finally pulled a trace off and called it quits. I'll see what I can do to fix it but it'll mean another motherboard for this mod. As an upside, version 2 of the 9300 Itx is out in November.

Although I didn't have Langer's problem of the solder not melting, I'll leave this type of mod to my betters and revert to soldering to the pads on the back. Ouch expensive lesson...

 

[Mach]

So what you're saying is that its just my inner Swede coming out? I'll be doing good if I am able to kill hardware with half the style of the Swedish modders.

 

[Elledan]

Mashie is Swedish?

*waves at Mashie from just over a slice of water*

 

[Elledan]

I am indeed, but I have been living in the UK for the past 10 years.

Oh right. Still just one puddle between us, then

 

[Mach]

So what did the berserkers do to themselves? Some references point to the Cult of Odin and cite references to magic rites, mind altering rituals, and even shape shifting. A particularly intriguing story describes how Christianity and the power of the crucifix overcame a berserker who among other things was immune to damage and fire.

Baresark was looked for to come thither, whose name was Otrygg, and all were afraid of him...that he feared neither fire nor sword, and the heathen men were sore afraid at his coming...Thangbrand smote the arm of the Baresark with his crucifix, and so mighty a token followed that the sword fell from the Baresark's hand. - The Story of Burnt Njal, Chapter 99

---
Back to the mod, I've got some etching "magic" to drop on you guys but that'll have to wait until later. If you'll allow me a little more story, I promise you'll like where this is going.

Ahem, if its not already obvious, I like brass and copper and in many ways, its central to this mod's theme. So I was a little disappointed when the copper fittings didn't work. I could have used chrome fittings but was looking for the lowest profile available. Gary at Sidewinder.com swooped in to help suss out what might work.

(If you haven't checked out Sidewinder before, go now! Gary's one of the most knowledgeable guys in the LC arena. More importantly, he's an extremely good guy and helpful to boot.)

A few emails later, I was talking with the Bitspower head magician, Vincent.

Flash forward a couple of weeks later, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw these. Brass magic...

And this adjustable 90, the pictures don't do this justice. The fit is incredible.

Q fitting

45 degree fitting

Fixed 90 degree fitting

Threaded stops

Threaded extenders

boom chicka wow-wow

Ah yes that'll work just fine…..

With 45s

And if that's not enough awesome sauce, I now have a sponsor.

Thanks Bitspower and a big thumbs up to Vincent! As you might imagine, I'm one happy modder right now.

Stay tuned...

 

[ekuest]

congrats on the sponsorship! if you want to discuss soldering to motherboards talk to MKMods. theres a nice thread here where he talks about some of his mobo soldering adventures. hes on techpowerup and maybe some other forums as well.

 

[Mach]

Thanks ekuest! I'll give MKmods a PM. He's got some amazing skills.

 

[markkleb]

Thanks ekuest for guiding him to my thread at Craigs place.

Hey Mach well done and a really cool idea so far.

As to the de-soldering I find simpler is better, I dont use fancy tools just a simple $5 35watt iron.

To remove all 24 pins at once is impossible (without damaging surrounding delicate parts) So what I do is cut off the plastic 24 pin plug with a dremel than remove each pin 1 by one with a simple soldering iron.

One thing to be careful with is when using a soldering iron or heat source is clean is MOST IMPORTANT...a clean tip and joint will liquefy in a sec or 2, if it takes longer you are going to damage the mobo.

I am insanely busy with work right now so making multiple logs is out of the question but if you want to see some different forms of mobo wiring than my last log has a few (I tend to babble so its a bit long but there is a bunch of good stuff there)
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=90058

To remove the pins I apply heat to each pin (not the mobo)and remove with needle nose pliers. And make sure if you use a dremel dont get carried away like I did here

One time I managed to remove the whole plug using a simple heat gun (looks like a hair dryer)

But because the new mobos are more layers and thicker materials its not as easy to get away with

Here is a fancy Asus mobo that Langer said he had probs with, supposedly because it had a bunch of extra copper in it that made it harder to do, turned out to be just as easy.
Just remember cut the plastic and remove than heat the pins 1 by one and remove.

On all my new mods I put the 24 pin plug on the back

I thought it would be funny to return it to Asus and make them think it was their defect and ask for an RMA, but I was too chicken (and cheap too)

When I started modding a few years ago I used markkleb but last year I switched over to MKmods(and I was too lazy to change it here at [H]

 

[Thor]

subbed

 

[Elledan]

Desoldering multi-pin components will always remain a joy, I guess. A heat gun often helps, though sometimes to get it out in one piece you just have to get a semi-professional desoldering station

In theory you could heat up the solder around one pin, remove it, and repeat that procedure until you have taken care of all pins and the component just drops out. That's how I have done it a few times.

 

[Crispy002]

Liking the steampunk appearance of all that brass. You know, you can make a decent amount of money on ebay soldering brass watches and goggles with those skills. The ravers would love you.

 

[ekuest]

Thanks ekuest for guiding him to my thread at Craigs place.

...

When I started modding a few years ago I used markkleb but last year I switched over to MKmods(and I was too lazy to change it here at [H]

i had just read that thread last night, and then i saw mach asking if anyone had experience doing the same thing this morning, so i figured id try to help. i didnt know you were markkleb. i figured you must have a hardforums account, but couldnt remember seeing any MKMods builds here. ive definitely seen marrkleb before though. it all makes sense now!

 

[Mach]

Thanks folks!

@Markkleb: Thank you! That's exactly what I needed. I'll check out the thread. Your Asus mod is exactly what I am trying to do.

@Elledan: Thanks, the Hakko gun works very well for larger components with a few pins. The 4 pin connector just dropped away. The atx connector I can see being a challenge even with the right tools. I guess there's no substitute for "know how"

@Crispy002: I lurk over at brassgoggles sometimes and am a big fan of Datamancers stuff. I'd love to have the time to fall down the rabbit hole of prop building but too many modding ideas with too little time.

 

[lillimon04]

Wow man this mod looks really clean. Love the all the copper, looks hella sick. Cant wait to see this done. Very good workmanship. That res looks amazing also.

 

[jackknife]

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

 

[Mach]

Thanks lillimon04 & jackknife, good point on the psu re-use.

 

[Shadowssong]

Amazing workmanship, post moar pix!!!