Project Oracle

E

endscape

Gawd
Joined
Mar 19, 2004
Messages
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The Design




Design Notes

I forgot to include the dimensions and whatnot, but Oracle will be a 16 inch cube constructed out of 1/16th inch aluminum (its actually slightly thicker, but I cant remember the exact dimensions). The finish will either be a very nice automotive gloss black paint, or powder coated something nice and shiny.

The water tank will be constructed out of 3/16 tinted acrylic (possible 1/4 inch, but who knows), and will be lit by white LED's embedded in the plexi. I've got an air pump that will pump bubbles into the tank and hopefully create a very pleasing effect. Check out my inspiration over at Metku Mods

I dont have the side panels designed because that depends a lot on the internal layout which seems to be changing constantly, but it will involve lots of mesh :cool:

At this moment I'm planning on having most of the fans pushing air in, and let the heat float out of the mesh top. However, should that not work I will build a bracket of some sort holding 2+ 120mm fans to pull air out.

Cooling

-CPU: Cuplex Pro
-GPU: Twinplex
-Chipset: Twinplex
-Pump: Aquaxtreme AQX-50Z-DC12
-RAD: Airplex Evo240

(If anyone wants to sponsor me with a Cuplex XT, an Aquatube, and a couple Twinplex Pros I would love them forever :hehe: )

-----Stage Zero: Prep-----

The work area: (yes, I cleaned up after I took these)




The Tools:

My home made brake:




My dad picked this up off lease for $120. It looked brand new when we leased it, so we figured it was better than spending $250 for a new one. Cuts aluminum like butter.




-----Stage One: The Exterior-----

I started out getting all the pieces I'd need for the exterior of the cube sheared down to size by Karlson Steel in Bellingham. Anyone needing some metalwork done in Whatcom County should look them up, they're a good group of guys.

The base:



The back on:



The top strapped in place:



The front riveted in:



The cube from the back:



That last picture shows quite a few things: the Lian Li motherboard tray I'll be using, the sheet of tinted acrylic, and the door to the paintbooth where the parts will get painted

The top cut (the mesh is just sitting there at this point):



The front and back cut:





Next Step

Starting on the internal structure, more specifically getting the PSU mounting in place and the slide for the motherboard tray. I also need to order the fans and the components for the LED throbbers and fan controller. I also need to design some feet for this bugger, but that's relativly low on the list.
 
LunchboX3904 said:
keep it clean cut, and that's gonna be one nice looking cube!

Click to expand...

That's the plan :)

In the very first design I made all the air came in through the bottom and went out a small vent in the back, and all the ports were either hidden inside a panel, or run along the back of the bottom plate. Basically nothing showed except the water tanks, but alas, that proved to be not feasible in the time frame/ budget I'm working under.
 
Well, its been a while since I last updated this, and I haven't gotten too terribly much done. I've been doing a lot of experimenting with mounting the motherboard slide and the internal layout.

The current internal layout, with the finished PSU mount in place. Note that the hard drive rack is just sitting there, I haven't decided how I want to mount it yet.



How I built the first piece of the bracket. Next I added a piece of aluminum bent to 90* that runs parallel to the bottom of the bracket. Note that the bracket pictured below was a prototype, the two I have in my case are more squared and dont have the slope on the top and bottom.



Once the whole thing gets painted you wont see any of those scratches or the pen marks, so all in all much cleaner. I still need to drill and tap the mounting holes to secure the bracket to the case, but that's for another day.





I've made some other progress, but I dont have current photos. I've been running up the ol' credit card picking up some parts.

From performance-pcs:



I will never buy from these guys again if I can help it, everything that's showed up from them has either been in terrible shape or missing pieces. Nothing major enough to warrant a return, but still annoying as all get out. They do, however, have a lot of parts that no one else carries, so sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. Another thing, I ordered the racks out of a PC-7 HERE, but they called and said they didn't have those, but instead the racks out of a PC-65. Considering the design is identical, I figured what the hey and had them ship my order out. This was not what I expected, however, due to the time constraints I'm working under, these will have to work.



All the fans and the fan grills came from SVC, which I still think is the greatest web shop ever for this sorta thing.

More toys, again from performance pcs:





-------------------------------------------------------

DESIGN NOTES

-------------------------------------------------------

I have decided to drop the optical drive in favor of a more developed fan control system. This makes the most sense for me since I've only used my optical drive maybe 3 times on my main rig since I installed windows and I can just pick up an external enclosure anyway.

Next up on the to do list is to get the motherboard tray cleaned up and mounted, as well as finally build the water tank and get it tied into the case. After that comes the fan controller, the fan mounts, and then I'm just about done, save making the mount for the hard drive rack.
 
you seem to have some good tools on hand, why did you send out the box to get cut by someone else?
 
Qtip42 said:
you seem to have some good tools on hand, why did you send out the box to get cut by someone else?
Click to expand...

I wanted to start with a base as square as possible to minimize mistakes made later - if that makes any sense. Plus at that point I didn't have the jig for the nibbler like I do now, so cutting straight lines was a pain.

Basically mark it up to my lack of skill and the convenience of it all.


Thanks,

E
 
Got a little work done over the last couple of days, but with midterms coming up (i.e. tommorrow :grr: ) I wont have anything new for a couple days. I've also found that I'm not big on "in progress" pictures since I have trouble stopping to take them. However, when I break the whole thing down for paint you'll get to see how it all went together.

Started with this hunk of metal, it was actually meant for the optical drive rack, but since I sacked that plan I figured I'd put it to use.



Bent it, drilled it, mounted a piece of aluminum to the side and came up with this:





That being one half of the motherboard rack, I obviously needed another. This one I decided to connect to the front of the case for two reasons: chassis rigidity, and additional support for the board.










I made a mock up of my tank just to make sure I can get the desired effect and whatnot. Its very rough and I got adhesive all over the thing, the next model will be cut with a router (vs a tablesaw) and have sanded edges and whatnot.




This was also my first experience with plexi glue, so that was interesting to say the least. However, all in all it turned out how I wanted it, and when I lit it up and added bubbles it was :jawdrop: worthy. I had to set it in the case just to see what it's going to look like, and I must say I'm rather pleased. Once I build the new one and get the case painted its going to look just like I wanted.



I rough cut the pieces I would need and got the templates sized, only to find that my router had busted a bolt so I sicked my dad on the problem, he wont have time till this weekend to check it out.



------------------------------------------------

Design Notes

------------------------------------------------

Not too much, had to change my motherboard rails from channel to this current design. I still need to add some round stock in the middle of each bracket to add some support.

In other news, I got myself a mini fridge and stocked it nicely:




And my youngest dogs father made it into the top four at westminster, so I was pretty excited. Has he done that a couple years earlier we could have strapped a 0 onto the end of how much we sold the puppies for, but meh, what can you do? He's afraid of cameras, and garbage cans, and my dad...he's a bit on the odd side.


 
Got a bit done today.

Mounted the radiator, though I seem to be missing the shots I took of it all tied into the case, so I'll have to snap some when I get out to the shop later.

I dont really like how this turned out, so I think I'm going to spring for a quality 117mm hole saw ($30 :sigh: ) and redo the mount.




I cut the panels for the new tank and started to sand them down, but didn't have the time start gluing them together.



Tomorrow I should get the tank built and mounted, and reinforce some of the brackets with some round stock I picked up.
 
Borgschulze said:
Looks good so far, although that radiator looks ugly, yet powerful. :)
Click to expand...

The rad itself? Or the mount? Either way you're pretty much right. The previous owner painted the rad blue, so it may get stripped and repainted before the project is over, and the mount will be redone before the case goes to paint.


Update incoming.
 
The right angle barbs on it, and the colour is kinda.. plain bright blue... I would have gone with a nice looking radiator.
 


Got the plexi cut for the new tank. The process wasn't that difficult, but it was messy. Basically I rip the sheet down with a table saw, making sure that they end up being slightly larger than intended. Then I clamp it down on a particle board form and run the router around it. Little filing and some sanding later, and I end up with some very nicely cut plexi pieces.





I got the first part of the tank built. I'm waiting on building the rest until I can drill and tap all the holes that need to be drilled and tapped.



This is everything that's going to be attached to the tank. That's two fittings for the water intake and out take into the watercooling loop, and two fittings for the air pump.



Three things I love about having a former mechanic (and generally very handy guy) for a father. The first is the air lines plumbed in all over the shop and connected to a very nice air compressor, the second, I say "hey dad, you happen to have a tap set?" and he pulls this out:



and then says "I have the rest at work," so I'm all set in that regard. Then the other day when I was cutting the rad mount out, he pulled this out:



The diamond bit works wonders. I used it in cunjunction with files and sandpaper to get the finish I wanted and the general shape.

My smaller workbench is a mess at the moment :eek: My next project may be cleaning it up.



This modders occasional drink of choice:



And for anyone who forgot what I'm cooling this with:



Not much will be happening tomorrow, since I'm spending the day in seattle with a couple female friends that apperantly want my opinion on their outfits :( If they weren't so damn cute I'd be at home working on Oracle, but meh, they're more fun.

I'll finish the tank up wednesday, and then I need to start on the hard drive rack.
 
Borgschulze said:
Swiftech or HW Labs... or even a heatercore.

Preferrable something thinner than that one though...
Click to expand...

You think a heatercore looks better? I guess we have differant tastes in watercooling gear haha. I certainly dont like the color, and would kill for a black one, but I think the rad in and of itself is insanely hot (punny :rolleyes: )

Cheers!

E
 
endscape said:
You think a heatercore looks better? I guess we have differant tastes in watercooling gear haha. I certainly dont like the color, and would kill for a black one, but I think the rad in and of itself is insanely hot (punny :rolleyes: )

Cheers!

E
Click to expand...

I guess so. :rolleyes:

WaterRevised%20003.jpg
 
nice progress so far i cant wait to see it finished and lady freinds generally do coem in front of computers at least i try to do that. im liking the mod alot thought. and i think your rad is fine
 
<off-topic>
Hey borg, if you are gonna highjack the thread, plz post a smaller pic. BTW it looks good but it can look a lot better.. happy modding.
</off-topic>

E, you are soo lucky to have your father's tool available to you.. I get to buy one tool per project (home DIY), thats the only way the wife will let me (Dad is across the Atlantic, so he is no help). Can you post a couple more pictures of the finger press/bendign machine?

Cool mod so far, have you considered using a laptop CD/DVD? they will fit almost anywhere. You dont have to buy it now, just leave room for it.
 
Ozone77 said:
<off-topic>
Hey borg, if you are gonna highjack the thread, plz post a smaller pic. BTW it looks good but it can look a lot better.. happy modding.
</off-topic>

E, you are soo lucky to have your father's tool available to you.. I get to buy one tool per project (home DIY), thats the only way the wife will let me (Dad is across the Atlantic, so he is no help). Can you post a couple more pictures of the finger press/bendign machine?

Cool mod so far, have you considered using a laptop CD/DVD? they will fit almost anywhere. You dont have to buy it now, just leave room for it.
Click to expand...



That's all I have of the brake, but if there's a certain angle you'd like I can snap it the next time I'm out in the shop.

I'm absurdly lucky, and make sure to let my dad know how much I appretciate it whenever I can.

I've been thinking about a laptop DVD drive, but the costs are prohibitive at this point, since I'm already over budget and I've still got to purchase the fan control gear. There is room in a couple of spots, so it may get added later. However, once this bugger gets painted I dont think I'm going to cut into it again.

Unless someone has one laying around that they want to donate to me? :D

Borg - That looks like a Swiftech Rad right? You might consider flipping it over so the tubes go straight down, adding rubber grommets to the holes so you dont have that white stuff in there (cotton?), and sleeving the wires and then running them either down the back of the case or wrapping it around one of the screws and feeding it into the case. At this point, save the color, I dont see any improvement over mine. Maybe you could point out differances that you find to be better in your system? Of give me suggestions on how to fix my system? Changing the radiator is not very possible at the moment (unless some kind soul would like to toss one my way?)

Folks, I love criticism, that's why I post here, but if it isn't constructive its just a step below flaming and takes away from my log.

Thanks,

E
 
Just a little text update:

I've been working on the tank, and it isn't cooperating. I should have it wrapped up this weekend, but I thought that last weekend and we can all see how well that went.

I ordered all my LED's, and parts for my fanbus, so I should have all kinds of stuff to do this weekend.

Basically, my to do list for the upcoming week is:

- Finish the tank, and install it into Oracle
- Begin the internal lighting
- Design, build, and light the feet
- Wire up and install the fanbus

and if I have time mount the hard drive rack.


Cheers folks!

E
 
Well, its been a while folks, and I haven't gotten much done. The tank is giving me problems, and what you see below is the third build, this time in 1/4inch clear plexi. It still isn't turning out as clean as I want, but I need to get this thing wrapped up in the next two weeks, so it'll have to do.

The Plexi cutting process:

Rough rip, clamp, route, file, sand.






Building the tank:




The result of the cutting process:



The finish is decent, but occasionally the router bucks, resulting in those wonderful white imperfections.







The tanks upside down, the end with the two fittings are near the bottom of the tank. Once I glued the top on, I realized I forgot to drill and tap the fill port, so I haven't glued the bottom on yet. I'm letting the whole thing dry before I drill the top to keep any plastic chips from sticking to tacky glue.

Dropped the tank into the case, just to see how it would look, I'm debating painting the outside back of the tank black to help it blend into the rest of the case.



Tomorrows to-do:

Drill and tap the top of the tank
Glue bottom piece on
Leak test
Light the tank
Paint the tank (maybe?)
Install the tank into the case

So, question for you [h]'rs, paint the back of the tank black, or leave it the way it is? The tank will be lit with about a dozen white 5mm LED's angled in from the left and right, if that makes a differance.

My thoughts about painting it: it would blend into the black finish of the case, so it would be a bit more dramatic when it lights up. It'll also set off the lights more.

Any thoughts?
 
Been working on the feet:




Sometimes you just need a bigger drill :naughty: or I just needed a drill with a half inch chuck and the 18v Dewalt wasn't home.




Slapped the pieces into the drill press to shape and sand them:









The finished piece sans lighting. Credit goes to zapwizard for the basic design. This one is the small foot that will fit next to the radiator in the back corner.

 
Got the feet mounted, they still need to be tweaked and tightened, but all in all I think they look pretty good. I've got a special plan for the little one, but you'll have to wait for that. They also need to be lit. I'm debating between having a couple LED's in each foot, or having one larger circle in the center with 10 or 20 LED's, thoughts?






Last coat of paint I put on freaking orange peeled on me. :wallbash: So I might just let it be, or it'll get sanded down and prettied up. Just FYI, this is take version 2, velcro mounts and CCFL lights. V3 will happen after the rest of the case is tied together and powder coated, and will have metal brackets for mounts and a small pile of LED's to light the bugger.



Picked this up from a friend, its got a blown PSU, but is otherwise fine. Should make a nice little box to play with linux on and whatnot. Plus, its a micro ATX board, which just might make it into my next project...Oracle II anyone?

Specs:

1Ghz Duron
256MB RAM
20GB 7200RPM
Geforce 2 Something or other



So, questions for you [H]:

Light the feet, or put a light pod in the middle?
Anyone know where to find replacement parts of an MCP-600 or AQX-50Z? I cracked mine trying to adapt it to my fittings.
 
I think you should go by lighting the feet.

But then again I like having the feet glowing :)
 
MakuraRyu said:
I think you should go by lighting the feet.

But then again I like having the feet glowing :)
Click to expand...


I'm leaning towards lighting the feet individually. Nothing too bright, just a faint glow creeping out from under the edge. Oracle v II will include LED throbbers, so it should have a very pleasing effect.

E
 
First of all let me say that I'm very interested in your mod... if all works out for what you have in your mind this should be an awesome build IMO.

Second, I am currently building a case from scratch (well kinda) as well, using lots of aluminum cutting and 120mm fan intakes... just like you I didn't want to spend the $$$ on a $35 hole saw and $10 on a mandrel for it but I'm trying to find a way around that :p . I'm also using the Lian Li mobo trays for my mobo and I also got them from Performance-PCs... both of mine (yes I got 2) came scratched all over and one even came slightly bent.

I'll be starting a work log for mine once I get a little more progress and do a little more planning. And ofcourse it certainly wont hurt watching yours to learn.

Great job so far man!!! I love your design and so far your execution is good (although that's based more on whether you are satisfied with your work thus far, not us)

As far as lighting the feet, a small dim light would look nice... but is there enough clearance for the radiator to get enough air... it looks tight but pictures can be misleading
 
Geo Fry said:
First of all let me say that I'm very interested in your mod... if all works out for what you have in your mind this should be an awesome build IMO.
Click to expand...

That's a BIG if. Oracle II should be closer, but you'll have to wait for the project log.

Geo Fry said:
Second, I am currently building a case from scratch (well kinda) as well, using lots of aluminum cutting and 120mm fan intakes... just like you I didn't want to spend the $$$ on a $35 hole saw and $10 on a mandrel for it but I'm trying to find a way around that :p . I'm also using the Lian Li mobo trays for my mobo and I also got them from Performance-PCs... both of mine (yes I got 2) came scratched all over and one even came slightly bent.
Click to expand...

I'm just going to man up and pick up a larger diameter hole saw set, should do what I want. Everything I've gotten from Performance-PCs has been bent, scratched, or marked up, its terrible.

Geo Fry said:
As far as lighting the feet, a small dim light would look nice... but is there enough clearance for the radiator to get enough air... it looks tight but pictures can be misleading
Click to expand...

Its a little over 5/8's of an inch, but once I finish the rest of the case I'll play with the watercooling loop, so I may end up jacking up the rad to give it some more air. We'll see.
 
What's all this crazyness? A sticky? Well damn, I guess I'll have to get some updates posted.

Stay tuned...
 


Painting the res black was the right choice I think. I think I'm going to have the fittings powdercoated black as well so they blend in better.

------------------------------------------------------------------------



Couple things here: you can see the strip I left unpainted on the res for my light bars (Cold cathodes will be there temporarily, LED strips will take their place), and the motherboard tray support bars are in place. They serve two purposes, to level the motherboard tray out, and to provide support. All they need are some small washers to shore them up and I'll be good.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




Update on the watercooling system:

Talking to the cooltechina support guys, they told me not to restrict the intake, so I slapped a new 1/2inch fitting straight into the side of the res. The extra plug and cool elbow on the back will run to a drain line for all my bleeding needs.

I'm going to pretty up the adaption setup on the outtake, I just haven't figured out how yet.

Assuming all goes well with my ethics test tomorrow, I'll screw the pump in and get the loop installed, plus I should get the side panels mapped and cut. I'm hoping to have everything wrapped and off to be powdercoated by Wednesday, Friday at the latest.
 
Alright!! An update... was wondering what happened

Definitely good call on the 1/2" pump intake...

What color did you say you were gunna have it powdercoated? I didnt see if or where you said it

You said 'powder-coated something nice and shiny' ;) ...
 
Geo Fry said:
Alright!! An update... was wondering what happened

Definitely good call on the 1/2" pump intake...

What color did you say you were gunna have it powdercoated? I didnt see if or where you said it

You said 'powder-coated something nice and shiny' ;) ...
Click to expand...

More than likely black, but I'm going to look at colors on wednesday hopefully, so we'll see what catches my eye.


E
 
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