Project: Beast 2.5

[Concentric]

Really nice work, as usual. Is that a completely custom CPU block or did you just make your own mounting plate?
The fill port also looks awesome.

Yea, I could have routed the GPU power lines somewhere else, but I’m getting lazy in my old age

Not at all, i like the fact that you can see some well sleeved, neat black cables routed around the place and plugged into things. Maybe i'm just weird

 

[Stevennoland]

Really nice work, as usual. Is that a completely custom CPU block or did you just make your own mounting plate?
The fill port also looks awesome.

Thanks!

The CPU block is from Danger Den. Only the aluminum top was made by me.

Steve

 

[NukeULater]

You have the most amazing mods... I'm going to take a page out of you book when it comes to cable management.

 

[>GSXR<mrbusa]

One of the best I have ever seen when it comes to innovation and then implementing your own mods. I would like to hire you for one of my rigs if I knew I would have it back before 2020, LOL.

 

[Stevennoland]

This little problem occured about a month and a half ago. I was playing Crysis and my pumps seemed a little too loud. It was if they were sucking air bubbles.

I noticed a large air bubble at the front of my res. So I fugured I'd add a little more coolant.

I unhooked the cables and trudged the beast to the work table. I had her up on end to fill and bleed the bubbles. As I'm adding coolant, I notice it's not filling. I'm like WTF!

I happen to look down and see a puddle forming on the table. Holy shiznit!

I yank off the side panel, and I notice coolant is dripping down the feed tube to the 8800 GTX block.

Panic!!!!

I get my clamps and cinch off the tubes to the GTX block.

I yank the card out (not literally, too many tubes in the way).

I really can't see anything obvious, so I remove the barbs. That's when the problem became evident.

Originally, the block came with this gasket between the acrylic barb fitting piece and the copper block

And it went here

Gasket

And here is the acrylic barb fitting piece

I thought the gasket ring was kinda flimsy, so I replaced it with this

Getting this to follow the curves upon sandwitching (sp?) the block and the acrylic was troublesome at best, but I eventually got it to work.

Well, apparently my gasket was too much for the acrylic to handle and it gave out. Can you see the crack?

Luckily, I'm a machinist. So I race to work, and remake the acrylic piece out of aluminum.

Here is the remade piece installed.

Using my gasket with the acrylic piece was tough enough to install, but I could see through the acrylic to see what part of the gasket needed to be moved. Last time I checked, I couldn't see through aluminum. Getting that gasket to fit was a real bitch!


All is well now. No leaks.

I'm currently in the process of making another reservior for this build.

Stay tuned.

 

[digital_exhaust]

Will do...

And bummer about the leak, but I suppose it could have been much worse than it was!!

 

[cesium666]

Wow I never saw this thread until now. Just read through it all. AMAZING work!

Sucks about the leak, at least nothing died

 

[Stevennoland]

You all thought I had disappeared! Not this cat.

I have been working my tail off. Pulling in the good jimmy (wink).

Time for a little update.

Beast III is still on hold. Sorry.

But, Beast 2.5 is being completely overhauled.

My plexiglass POS res is going bye bye.

Here are some pics of its current dire straights (no pun intended Mark K.)

This set-up is great for filling and bleeding bubbles. (My loop is supposed to be sealed, but I swear, there is a huge bubble in there after about a week.)

But I just know I’m gonna hit that fitting and snap it off, and I’ll have an instant mess.

So, I decided to make my own res. I made one for Beast II, but that was unique to it’s use.

This one is going to be bay mounted.

So, on with the build.

First step, material. Block, this is 6061 Aluminum, about 1.75” x 6” x 7”

Round, same material 6” in diameter by about 1.5” thinck

First cut for the round

Square up the block

Here is the hole for the location of the pocket (explained later)

The pocket, the holes are to affix the lid and the groove is for the o-ring

The round’s second side turned (kind of like a hat)

Holes for the screws

Fill and bleed hole (for g1/4 fitting)

I then milled the round so it would have a divider wall and basically split the pocket in two (I’ll explain shortly)

Other side of divider (this is the inlet side. The curved hook and hole is to aid in funneling the air bubbles out)

Close-up of tapped hole for lid affixing screws

O-ring fit test

Here are the inlet and outlet holes (I wanted more options on the locations of the inlets and outlets to aid in tube routing)

Close-up

Here is shot of the inside of the pocket (three inlets, three outlets)

Mounting holes

I had her anodized ($85.00 later). The pics speak for themselves

The divider wall will leave a ¼ gap for the coolant to flow through. (I’m hoping I’ll trap most of the bubbles. Some might slip through)

Lid installed

Screws

Before screws

After

With fittings

I wish I had it installed, but I haven’t had time.

I did buy a new mobo, mem, CPU, and HD , but I’ll save those for the rebuild post.

I’m also going to drop in a spanking new GTX 280 (when they become available).

I’ll keep ya posted.

 

[digital_exhaust]

My God man.... your skills and imagination are absolutely amazing....

I have been watching your work for a long time....in fact your B3 case was one of the reasons I registered here.......stunning work, as always.

 

[ric0chet06]

jesus man, how many years experience in machining do you have? I am in the contruction path, but I can never make anything out of wood that will even be up to par with that

 

[NTRR]

NICE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[neoice]

this just made me and baby jesus cry, pimp skills man.....