Project CheckMate by E.E.L. Ambiense

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

That block idea looks soo sick, I really I wish had half the talent in your left pinky, you are just that damn good. Keep up the amazing work.

That's a hell of a compliment. I appreciate it, thank you!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Alrighty, time for another infusion of me mod. Let's get to it now, shall we?

Here's all the fittings' compressors in a pile.

They have that kind of black chrome look to them, which is fine.....but not for me. I'ms a gunna expearamint! :naughty:

Here's an older version of the same compressor... let's see here...

Kablowie!!

Hey, it worked! Probably the world's first custom-coated compressor fittings! And they're textured for easy gripping-action!

I needed to modify some washers for the handles to be installed correctly. Normally, it's not needed, but this case has some 'reinforcement' rails up top that the handles go right through, so I needed to slim down the washers a tad to allow that to fit flush. Nothing really exciting here.

Where I need to hack these things up...

And speaking of handles.... here they are. All coated in my favorite 'textured' black for some grip. I've said before it feels kinda like really old 80-grit sandpaper that has no more bite to it. Kinda like that.

And installed on the chassis...

I began to install the mobo and getting things ready, and I was just checking out the I/O plate that comes with this board. I really like it. Don't know why, I guess I'm so used to looking at a plain tin POS or something, lol. It's nice, and it fits this build too!

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[CrimandEvil]

Nice. Seriously nice work there.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Nice. Seriously nice work there.

Thank you kindly!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Here we are again. I apologize; I've been a bit under-the-weather lately, as they say. So it's a been a little while since I've bumped this build. I also wished to thank all of you who actually voted for this build for MoTM. It's a lost vote, as always, lol, but it means a lot to me regardless. So I prostrate myself before you in gratitude. Thank you!

Plus, I want to apologize in advance, as some of these photos aren't up to my usual standards. Again, due to the aforementioned under-the-weatherness. Let's get to the update anyways, shall we?

First off, I've been wanting to start work on the PSU modification I was going to do for this build. The PSU in question is one of my Corsair HX520s.... this one...

...but it was going to get some sleeving on it. "Uni-sleeving", to be precise, as well as some cable modifications.

Let's open her up, like a pair of gentle hands holding a sparrow.

What's this?....

I laugh at thee!

Alright, all splayed open on the surgical table.

Now, since I won't be using a 4-pin mobo with this PSU, let's trim off some excess fat here, shall we? Snip! Of course, heatshrinked the ends for safety's sake.

I don't care what all you 'l33t' fruit modders out there say, using staples now is just an uphill battle. Buy some of these for a few bucks and save your fingertips. It hurts! And the staple method is so outdated!

As I remove the pins, I tend to mark them with a little sticker or something so I can easily know where they go back. Others have their own methods, of course. Whatever works!

And after a few minutes of easy sleeving, I have this. I needed to fix one of the shrinks on it though, but it's good to go.

And after a half-hour or so, I have this.

It's not all done though; I...well...I kinda ran out of sleeving. So that's getting remedied soon.

Now, next up, I'm going to start work on the cables themselves. Namely, the SATA power cables. Corsair's PSU is really designed with the understanding that you're most likely placing said PSU in the upper part of a case. But in this case (get it? Alright, I hate puns too), the PSU's obviously on the bottom. So the way the low-pro SATA connectors are designed on these cables makes it so there will be a 'loop' of wires because of the orientation of the connectors relative the HDD's connector. Let me show you if I just confused the hell out of ya's.

On the left there, is my modded cable, which will plug in to eliminate that 'loop' of cabling that would otherwise be there. On the right is the stock orientation of the connector coming off the PSU.

Here's a test HDD showing how it would be oriented inside the case...

Modded plug plugged in as a test showing the HDD in it's upright orientation...

And stock plug plugged in showing what it would normally look like...

I'm going to go relax a bit and continue playing Assassin's Creed on Noire finally--- er, I mean, relaxing and trying to kick this weird fever.

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[Zenshi]

Hey thanks for the post. Now I know what the inside of my HX520 looks like. Looking good there. The wire sleeving is awesome. I am currently doing a bit of upgrade mod on my daughter's Emachine but I seem to be spending more time looking for my Dremel than doing the mod. Hope to see your update again soon.

 

[prodigee]

That's a hell of a compliment. I appreciate it, thank you!

No problem bro you deserve it. Out of curiosity where did you get the white sleeving from? I have been looking for good white sleeving forever now and I STILL can't find any.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Hey thanks for the post. Now I know what the inside of my HX520 looks like. Looking good there. The wire sleeving is awesome. I am currently doing a bit of upgrade mod on my daughter's Emachine but I seem to be spending more time looking for my Dremel than doing the mod. Hope to see your update again soon.

LOL! Glad I could help out.

These PSUs are the best series I've ever used in all my years of building PCs. Seriously. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Corsair (and Seasonic) should be commended for such awesome PSUs, and they are!

Ack, the dreaded 'can't find the tools' problem. I hate that, lol. I just keep everything in a big pile now!

No problem bro you deserve it. Out of curiosity where did you get the white sleeving from? I have been looking for good white sleeving forever now and I STILL can't find any.

Thanks, man! Performance-PCs; good local friends and a killer company for modding gear. Can't recommend them enough!

 

[prodigee]

LOL! Glad I could help out.

These PSUs are the best series I've ever used in all my years of building PCs. Seriously. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Corsair (and Seasonic) should be commended for such awesome PSUs, and they are!

Ack, the dreaded 'can't find the tools' problem. I hate that, lol. I just keep everything in a big pile now!



Thanks, man! Performance-PCs; good local friends and a killer company for modding gear. Can't recommend them enough!

You just have all the hook-ups I am so jealous of you.

 

[SuperTroye]

LOL! Glad I could help out.

Thanks, man! Performance-PCs; good local friends and a killer company for modding gear. Can't recommend them enough!

Yup, agree with Performance-PCs... it also helps that you can walk in and get anything you want... sigh... wish Tallahassee had the market demand for high end modding gear.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

You just have all the hook-ups I am so jealous of you.

I'd just say I have a bit of a shorter drive there than you would, that's all.

Yup, agree with Performance-PCs... it also helps that you can walk in and get anything you want... sigh... wish Tallahassee had the market demand for high end modding gear.

That's true!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Here we are again. I guess it isn't your lucky day, eh? Let's get right to it. Last we left off, I was in the midst of modding this PSU. Let's continue with that.

After finishing up the lonely few cables left on the PSU that was still nekked, I needed to open up the port on the PSU's side a bit to accommodate the now-wider cables going through it.

I figured I'd just mirror the little u-shaped port around the corner of the PSU, since that's where the wires are. Makes sense, right?

And after a couple minutes with the rotary tool and some filing and u-channel application, I'm left with this.

I'm in the middle of testing the PSU here to make sure everything went together fine. That crap throwaway Antec 140mm fan that Bill sent me for something else is running off the PSU here. Nothing blew up so it looks like it's okay!

Moving on, I finished modification of the SATA cable specifically taylored for the HDD. I cut off about half the length of the cables since the HDD is literally right above the PSU inside the chassis, and just didn't think routing cables for that would be justifiable.

And testing a SATA HDD...

Everything seems to be working just fine.

Last, I decided to sleeve the internal power patch cable that runs from the PSU up front to the back of the chassis. Leaving it black would've been fine, but that's too easy, right?

After some desoldering and some sleeving, I'm left with this...

I'll have some more soon!

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[SuperTroye]

Modded plug plugged in as a test showing the HDD in it's upright orientation...

And stock plug plugged in showing what it would normally look like...

That's a fantastic mod! I've got the same thing planned for my HX1000. I've got 3 hard drives mounted in rails in my CM ATCS 840 and some nasty looping action that I have to force bend in order to close my side panel.

Question: Did you mod the existing connectors or did you go with self-crimping SATA power connections? What would you recommend for a noob in this situation?

Thanks!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

That's a fantastic mod! I've got the same thing planned for my HX1000. I've got 3 hard drives mounted in rails in my CM ATCS 840 and some nasty looping action that I have to force bend in order to close my side panel.

Question: Did you mod the existing connectors or did you go with self-crimping SATA power connections? What would you recommend for a noob in this situation?

Thanks!

Thanks!

As in the pics, I just modded existing SATA connector 'backwards' to compensate for the different orientation of the PSU versus the HDD in the case. I merely switched the cables around; 'mirrored' if you will, and flipped the connector itself so it's 'right side up'. The lock-down crimp type connector they use is easy to remove, and the wires are slid into the slots using force which cuts into the wire's insulation. As long as you keep the right wires going to the right slots on the connector, you'll be good.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

And another one rises to the surface. Let's get right to it, shall we?

I needed to finish up on some additional wires for the PSU. I finished up on the single PCI-E cable, a molex cable with the additional cables snipped off to keep things clean, and built a molex to floppy molex connector for the optical drive's power needs.

I also finished up on the compression fittings...

The PSU's final coat of "candiness" was added as well. I dressed it up some additional vinyl trim on the top and sides.

And in it's final home...

And moving on to other things...

I needed a light-weight yet decent reliable keyboard to go along with this build, but really needed to make it personalized for this particular mod. Well, I kept looking back at a keyboard I've modded before. The Hiper aluminum alloy keyboard.

A very good quality solid-feeling board!

But...it's stock. So let's rectify that.

Wait-- what's this?

Bah! Are you kidding me?! :hehe:

And with the frame off, I spent some time de-anodizing, sanding, and coating.... in white, of course. Needed to match the project's color-scheme, right? Only, with a twist.

I designed some simple little icons for the buttons that were previously wiped out from the initial sanding, and applied them in vinyl to the board! After a coat of white and some careful juggling of temps with a couple layers of power clear over the decals, here's the results. It's all about experimenting. What works and what doesn't work. I thought the results were pretty good!

I'll have some more soon!

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[Elledan]

Oh noes, you voided the warranty!!

Ah, the complete lack of respect and need for warranties from modders is always inspiring

 

[SuperTroye]

Man those powder coated compression fittings make all the difference. I don't remember seeing any other build have them or manufacturer that sells coated fittings. The thought and artwork put into your builds is so aesthetically pleasing!

I don't mean for you to give away your secret sauce, but do you have these tools at your disposal? Laser cut machine, sand blaster, powder coat rig aren't things you find in Joe the Plumber's garage.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Oh noes, you voided the warranty!!

Ah, the complete lack of respect and need for warranties from modders is always inspiring

Hehehe. This is true!

Man those powder coated compression fittings make all the difference. I don't remember seeing any other build have them or manufacturer that sells coated fittings. The thought and artwork put into your builds is so aesthetically pleasing!

I don't mean for you to give away your secret sauce, but do you have these tools at your disposal? Laser cut machine, sand blaster, powder coat rig aren't things you find in Joe the Plumber's garage.

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words.

It's more or less just a hobby that's run out of control. I do handle the occasional commissioned build for customers, although things have tapered off from the economy issues lately. I'm a graphic designer and printer by profession, and I'm commercial-zoned for possible hazards that surround working with such materials. I really wish I could call it my full job like my buddy Bill Owen of MNPCTech, but only a select few get that privilege! But working for Bill on the side is just as good in my eyes.

 

[ZygoatD]

how did you make the button labels for the "internet" keys. like the "www" or e mail icon?

i need to do the same thing for my laptop mod, but i am unsure how to do it and have it look good. i ve got a few ideas but it looks like you have a system that works. i just hope it doesn't involve your expensive graphic design equipment.

if it does maybe you know of a simpler way that most people could do with more common equipment.

thanks!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

how did you make the button labels for the "internet" keys. like the "www" or e mail icon?

i need to do the same thing for my laptop mod, but i am unsure how to do it and have it look good. i ve got a few ideas but it looks like you have a system that works. i just hope it doesn't involve your expensive graphic design equipment.

if it does maybe you know of a simpler way that most people could do with more common equipment.

thanks!

Sure! I'll quote myself...

I designed some simple little icons for the buttons that were previously wiped out from the initial sanding, and applied them in vinyl to the board

In all seriousness, I die-cut them all out in adhesive vinyl on a vinyl cutter. As far as more 'common equipment' I'd think it'd be impossible to do.

 

[Kaos]

Might I ask where you got those casters? I'v been looking for something similar for my build as it's rather heavy and just has feet at the moment.

Thanks,

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Might I ask where you got those casters? I'v been looking for something similar for my build as it's rather heavy and just has feet at the moment.

Thanks,

coolcasters.com

 

[Kaos]

coolcasters.com

Thanks a ton!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Ugh. That is my statement. I have been absolutely swamped with school stuff; i.e. P.E. uniforms, etc., and it's driving me insane. Actually, I'm already insane, so it's driving me ininsane.

Alright, all excuses aside, let's get to this little update. I had enough time to put together the side panel window/fan assembly, and get it slapped on the case for a test. Let's get to that.

And a little secret of mine that I use with acrylic to minimize smudges and crud on acrylic when working with it. Well, not much of a secret or anything, I mean...it's kind of common-sense, right? Anyways, I use these...

Simple vinyl gloves. Like safe-sex with your hands! :naughty:

And me mits.

Removing acrylic's paper covering...

I love transparent gray. I mean, I've used it soooo sparingly in the past, right?

And some button-head socket caps to hold it permanently on the panel...

And with some 6-32 1.5" button-heads through the acrylic and fans, along with some nuts on the backside holding them on makes it finished.

A little peak inside the case with the panel on.

Oh, and I sleeved the USB cable on the CM keyboard as well. Looks nice!

Hopefully I can finish this damn thing soon, because the next one's going to be.... well, I'll wait for that log. In due time.

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[prodigee]

Sweet baby Jesus that is amazing beyond words. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful mod in my life.

 

[Wazooty]

Is that mesh from ACryan.com dust filters? It also looks like you obtained some raw material to cut out...did you order that from the website too? I'd like to make a few filters myself.

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Sweet baby Jesus that is amazing beyond words. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful mod in my life.

Hahaha! Plenty of awesome stuff out there, man!

Is that mesh from ACryan.com dust filters? It also looks like you obtained some raw material to cut out...did you order that from the website too? I'd like to make a few filters myself.

Yes, those are from AC Ryan, but I don't bother ordering direct from them. The modder's mesh is also AC Ryan to match the fans. In all honesty, I don't care for their products generally, but I chose their mesh this time because it was structurally sound, but the bottom line is it's very restrictive.

 

[PureFLCL]

I designed and lasercut them.

That looked Freakin Sweet! Great Work!

 

[Raiden911]

W0W! Great Work DUD3!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

That looked Freakin Sweet! Great Work!

Thanks, man!

W0W! Great Work DUD3!

Thank you kindly!

 

[Marcam923]

Man that is looking sick!

 

[egawrangler]

Truly awesome work! ...now please go cut those fingernails! lol, j/k

-EGA

 

[Vinnard]

WOW! Sweet build! I just looked at every picture and the thread and this mod is incredible!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Man that is looking sick!

Thanks!

Truly awesome work! ...now please go cut those fingernails! lol, j/k

-EGA

Thank you! LOL, screenprinter.... Need the nails for work, but I agree.

WOW! Sweet build! I just looked at every picture and the thread and this mod is incredible!

Thank you for the kind words!

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Alrighty. I apologize for being under a massive stinking pile of

-worth of work, which is why I haven't had time to 'play' lately. And a modder that doesn't have time to play tends to feel homicidal tendencies toward his co-workers. That's....a problem. Yeah. :worried: So, anyways....

Here I am with another update infusion, distilled, percolated, and filtered just for your fine viewing pleasure. Let's get to it, shall we?

Block-time! CPU waterblock time, to be exact. Here's a little pile of another type.

A quick pre-assembly to make sure everything looks good. All lined up perfect.

Now, let's do a little drop-in on the CPU itself to see if it clears everything correctly...

Alright. Looks fine. Now, let's tap some holes! I need to thread these holes for G1/4 mount fittings.

A couple mins. later of careful threading to make sure the threads are, well, straight.

And dropping the dress-top to make sure the compression fittings will clear like it was designed to do...

Perfect! I also drilled a hole in the side for a 5mm LED to be installed for lighting action. Now, let's peel off some paper backing and thread in the button-head socket caps...

And dropping the fittings back in...

And lights out!

Nice. Should look great when it's in it's final home inside the chassis. I'm only going to have two LED's lighting everything inside the chassis because I don't want a light-fest this time around. I even contemplated not using LED fans on the top, but figured....what the hell.

A quick little loop with water to make sure the block will actually hold water inside it without spilling it all over the bloody place.

Generally, if it's going to leak, it will leak right away. Kind of like having prostate issues!

Anyways, no water anywhere, yet. I guess that's good, right?

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Until the next update, I got nuthin'. :thumb:

 

[SuperTroye]

Wow... what an amazingly nice touch to a water cooled system. I always though that the top of a water block added to the cooling... does acrylic slightly diminish the cooling capabilities of that block? Anyways, fantastic custom work on the laser cutting bro...

 

[gwarren007]

NICE!!

 

[CrimandEvil]

Holy shit!! 0_0

 

[ekuest]

Wow... what an amazingly nice touch to a water cooled system. I always though that the top of a water block added to the cooling... does acrylic slightly diminish the cooling capabilities of that block? Anyways, fantastic custom work on the laser cutting bro...

the geometry can definitely make a difference: think dtek fuzion quad nozzles. but as for material, if you use copper like in the HK 3.0 CU then the copper dissipates a tiny bit of heat out the top of the block either into the air or into the water in contact with the top of the block. the LT only dissipates the heat into the water from the bottom part. since the heat comes from the bottom part, the top being copper doesnt make much difference: less than a degree better.

sorry to go off topic there ambiense. that block looks incredible, just like everything you do! so how many parts are left on this thing? it must be nearing completion by now...

 

[E.E.L. Ambiense]

Wow... what an amazingly nice touch to a water cooled system. I always though that the top of a water block added to the cooling... does acrylic slightly diminish the cooling capabilities of that block? Anyways, fantastic custom work on the laser cutting bro...

Thanks, man! Nah, negligible temps. The original top was acrylic as well, albeit a little more boring. It's more or less simply a way to keep the water within the closed loop more than anything. I'm sure if it were sealed, you could use leather!

NICE!!

Thanks!

Holy shit!! 0_0

LOL! Thanks!

the geometry can definitely make a difference: think dtek fuzion quad nozzles. but as for material, if you use copper like in the HK 3.0 CU then the copper dissipates a tiny bit of heat out the top of the block either into the air or into the water in contact with the top of the block. the LT only dissipates the heat into the water from the bottom part. since the heat comes from the bottom part, the top being copper doesnt make much difference: less than a degree better.

sorry to go off topic there ambiense. that block looks incredible, just like everything you do! so how many parts are left on this thing? it must be nearing completion by now...

Exactly. Couldn't put it any better.

Thanks! It's close. I just need the time to do it more than anything. It's all just sitting there, mocking me silently. She'll be done soon though. I have the next project brewing which has been on the burner for quite a while, but I told myself I'd get to it before the end of the year.