ZEUS (Fractal R4 | Blue/Black | Internal UT60 Rad) - by alpenwasser [COMPLETE]

[alpenwasser]

The PSU Mount

Ok, time for a small update, namely the PSU mount.

External Shot - No Front Panel

As you can see, there's still some refinement required, but this gives you a pretty good idea

about how everything fits together. Since the front panel will hide this anyway, it does not

need to be absolutely perfect.

External Shot - Front Panel Mounted

The 90 degree plug fits just behind the front door, so it does close. :)

Internal Shot

Do not worry about the cables at this point. I started to sleeve them to get some practice,

and I was not yet aware at that point that I would be completely changing the PSU location.

Naturally, all the cables are way too long now, so I will have to shorten them to get

everything to look neat and tidy. They will still be sleeved with blue paracord though. As

soon as I get my sleeving supplies from Lutro0 I will start with that (same goes for

HELIOS).

That's it for now, thanks for stopping by. :)

[Nicktrance]

wow.. that's some thinking outside of the box (figuratively speaking, since you're not attaching rads to the outside :lol:) :D. I'm VERY curious to see more :D.

[alpenwasser]

Nicktrance, on 06 May 2013 - 8:03 PM, said:

wow.. that's some thinking outside of the box (figuratively speaking, since you're not attaching rads to the outside :lol:) :D. I'm VERY curious to see more :D.

Hehe, yeah my big problem is how to fit everything inside the box :lol:

Thanks!

[Nicktrance]

Hehe, yeah my big problem is how to fit everything inside the box :lol:

Thanks!

 

Well, you did make things harder for yourself :D.

I have seen builds with parts outside the case but I don't think that would fit this build, plus they look ghetto and usually involve car parts (heater cores and such) :lol:.

[alpenwasser]

Well I still have a Mora (9x120) laying around here somewhere. :lol:

Although that's planned to go inside my old Elysium for a passively cooled

office computer for my dad.

[XiaoPigs]

Very different from most of the builds I have seen so far :O

 

 

Can't wait for more pictures and the final product ^^

 

Solider on my good man!

[Blade of Grass]

This build looks like its going to be awesome! 

 

Are you keeping the back of it like that? 

[alpenwasser]

Very different from most of the builds I have seen so far :o

 

 

Can't wait for more pictures and the final product ^^

 

Solider on my good man!

This build looks like its going to be awesome!

 

Thanks guys! :)

 

Are you keeping the back of it like that?

You mean with that yellow? No, that's just protective tape I've left on not to damage

the panel while I'm still working on it. Underneath there's black powder coat.

[Blade of Grass]

 

Thanks guys! :)

 

You mean with that yellow? No, that's just protective tape I've left on not to damage

the panel while I'm still working on it. Underneath there's black powder coat.

Oh, ok good :D I was gonna say with whatever the back was (it almost looked like fiberglass to me), it ruined the build for me. But the black powder coat sounds awesome.

[YoYo155]

Very cool dude, can't wait to see more!

[alpenwasser]

Oh, ok good :D I was gonna say with whatever the back was (it almost looked like fiberglass to me), it ruined the build for me. But the black powder coat sounds awesome.

Hehe, yeah that yellow would not quite look right. :lol: Although I have been wanting

to try out fiberglass for a while, but once I'm done with my current projects I likely

won't have the money and time anymore (college). Ah well, plans for the future. :)

Very cool dude, can't wait to see more!

Thanks! :)

[Demos]

Woah. This is becoming highly unconventional! I love it!

[alpenwasser]

UDPATE

Well, sort of :lol:

I've received my sleeving tools today and should be able to start adjusting the PSU

wires beginning next weekend.

So long

-aw

[Nit3Rid3R]

mhmm, me gusta, keep the pictures coming. 

 

inb4: I bet this will have blue coolant.

[alpenwasser]

Woah. This is becoming highly unconventional! I love it!

Thank you! :)

 

mhmm, me gusta, keep the pictures coming. 

 

inb4: I bet this will have blue coolant.

Thanks! :)

Coolant will probably be clear, at least according to current plans. I know some

people have zero issues with colored coolants, but seeing as this is going to be

a server, I plan on taking the route which carries the least potential for troubles.

Then again, blue coolant might look very nice in this. Damn you for giving me ideas! :lol:

[Nit3Rid3R]

Then again, blue coolant might look very nice in this. Damn you for giving me ideas! :lol:

USE BLUE COOLANT 

[Ymac]

USE BLUE COOLANT 

USE PASTEL BLUEBERRY, it's freaking awesome!

[alpenwasser]

Nit3Rid3R, on 16 May 2013 - 11:34 AM, said:

USE BLUE COOLANT

Ymac, on 16 May 2013 - 9:22 PM, said:

USE PASTEL BLUEBERRY, it's freaking awesome!

Probably not TBH. Since this is a server for actual work, reliability will take priority

over fancy coloring. I've read about many people having no problems with Mayhems pastel,

but I've read about enough people having problems that I won't use it. I can't afford to

have to take the rig apart any time soon, both my dad and myself will need this machine

for work stuff.

I'm well aware how awesome it would probably look, no argument there, but while looks

are important, they take a bit of a back seat when there's a possibility for it to

conflict with function in this build. It will be on 24/7, I have to minimize the

possible sources for trouble (I know there's no such thing as 100% reliability, of

course).

I do however have some Monsoon blue fittings, which should add some touch of color to

the loop layout. I'm not yet sure how good "normal" blue coolant would look with that,

it might just drown out the blue fittings.

I do appreciate the support and suggestions though, it's just that this is probably not

really the right build for that kind of stuff. :)

[alpenwasser]

I've requisitioned my dad's EOS 600D and ordered some proper studio lighting (haven't

gotten it yet though), so I hope to provide some better quality pictures (and maybe videos)

in the future. For now I'm just experimenting with the camera and familiarizing myself with it.

Sleeving - Part One

I'm not yet done by any stretch, but I've managed to cut the 24 pin to size and sleeve it as well

as the EPS 8 pin.

Opening the PSU

I'm sure you all know that opening a PSU is not a very good idea if you don't know what you're

doing. It's not magic of course; as long as certain precautions are taken it's perfectly safe

(how else would a manufacturer's technician do maintenance and repairs? ;)), but people

who do not take those precautions leave themselves open to being nominated and possibly

awarded a Darwin award.

Anyway: It's not a terribly impressive PSU, but it doesn't need to be. It just needs to do its

job, and do it well. Going by BQ's reputation, that should be the case here.

Feel free to mock me for the terrible hideousness to the left of the PSU. :lol:

(click image for full res)

Cutting Unneeded Wires

Since I will be needing neither the PCI-E auxiliary power cables nor all of the SATA and

Molex power connectors, some of the wires have been cut and their remains kept inside the

PSU. I've left enough wire to have something to solder on to should I ever need to do that

for whichever reason (unlikely, but not impossible). The brownish stuff on the red wires is

just tape residue, not a burned wire, for those worrying. ;)

I've numbered them and written down what connects to what in case of restoration.

(click image for full res)

Cable Lacing

I have to admit: I'm not terribly fond of zip ties. They look ugly, it's much too easy to over-

tighten them and crush a cable's mantle, and they are terribly wasteful with all that remaining

plastic being chopped off and binned.

Therefore I started to investigate alternatives to zip ties a while ago, and stumbled upon the

ancient art of cable lacing. Before the advent of zip ties, this was how cables and wires were

organised. Since it's rather time consuming to do this properly, it has fallen out of favour in

many areas and been supplanted by zip ties. However, there are still areas where cables

are laced instead of zip tied, most notably the aerospace industry (NASA has a rather nice

manual on it somewhere).

Those of you who have worked in telecommunications will probably have learned and used

this, depending on how old you are. Personally I've only learned about it recently, so I'm still

very much in the early stages of developing my technique.

These are my first experiments. Once I have a process that's actually satisfactory, I'll post

more information on it, these pictures serve more as a documentation of my learning process

than anything else.

Front side of my very first try during the process:

(click image for full res)

Same try, later stage:

(click image for full res)

The back side of that wire group:

(click image for full res)

24 Pin

Ok then, let's try this on a double layer cable with a bit more wires:

(click image for full res)

Notice that the 24 pin is rather short at this point. This makes it a bit tricky to get it neat

and tidy. This is not the end result; I'll post pics of that once it has actually achieved its

final form ;)

(click image for full res)

HDD Tower

Since the top of the HDD tower (or however one chooses to call it) is anchored to the 5.25"

bay enclosure in the case's standard config and said enclosure has been discarded in this

build, I've had to devise a new plan to make sure the HDD's stay in place and everything looks

right.

I've decided to anchor the HDD tower's top place directly to the underside of the PSU. So,

let's make a few holes:

(click image for full res)

HDD Tower - Overview

The tower is pretty much straight now, its top end is 0.5 mm further away from the case front

than its bottom part. It's measurable but not really noticeable.

(click image for full res)

SATA Power Cable

Let's make this nice and straight, shall we? The remaining bits of wire at the bottom will

of course be cut off. The PSU is still open at this point because I still need to make a few

adjustments to it.

(click image for full res)

Current Overview

I've placed the pump in for taking some measurements, and I've moved the fans between the

back panel and the radiator. Notice that the cable lacing on the 24 pin has changed, but since

it's not yet in its end stage I haven't taken a separate picture of that.

(click image for full res)

RIP - Trusty Friend

After more than seven years of loyal service my lighter has given up on me. It's a jet flame lighter,

so it's actually pretty well suited not only for melting paracord, but also for heat shrink since

it's possible to quite accurately regulate the heat output getting to the heat shrink (also, it

does not leave any black residue).

I originally bought this during my army time for officer candidate school; it was very well

suited for lighting those pressed charcoal sticks you use for warming your hands (it was rather

cold and we were outside a lot :lol: ). It's served me extremely well during the years, although

I've not used it all that much as a non-smoker.

I've taken it apart to see if I could fix it, but it seems the valve for the Butane tank is defective,

so I'm not hopeful :(

(click image for full res)

That's it for today. Next up I need to get a new lighter ASAP, and then I'll finish the PSU.

Once that's done I'll be able to start with the W/C loop and putting everything together for

the first time to test it. After that I'll take everything apart again for painting those bits that

need painting (the back panel's radiator opening, most notably).

Thanks for stopping by. :)

[MPX309]

holy crap, this is gonna look special when done. . . . love it so far.

[Nicktrance]

This is awesome :o.

I don't mean to be rude but...MOAR UPDATES!!!

Can you tell I'm curious :lol:?

[alpenwasser]

holy crap, this is gonna look special when done. . . . love it so far.

Yeah it is something a bit different. Thank you! :)

 

This is awesome :o.

I don't mean to be rude but...MOAR UPDATES!!!

Can you tell I'm curious :lol:?

Hehe, thanks! The infrequency of updates in the past two weeks has been due to waiting

for parts, but now I have pretty much most things except for a few minor W/C components,

so I'll be able to advance at a higher pace than so far. :)

[alpenwasser]

very intersesting build

 

thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading. :)

[AraSarkisyan]

Really nice.

[alpenwasser]

Really nice.

Thank you! :)

PSU Sleeving - Continued

So I went out and got myself a new lighter today. As an outdoorsy type I would have loved

something like a Wenger Clava, but I didn't have time (or rather: was unwilling) to wait that long.

This one was 20 bucks and works quite well so far. It has a nice focused blue flame.

(click image for full res)

SATA Power Cables

While the 90 degree SATA power connectors allow for extremely neat wire routing, they are

not really well suited for sleeving. I am not yet 100 % happy with the result, but it's better

than before (or let's say: I like it better than before). I can always redo it later if I get some

clever idea about how to improve it and make it truly perfect.

To give you an idea of how I went about this problem:

(click image for full res)

And the current state of affairs on the HDD tower's back side:

(click image for full res)

Pump Power Delivery

Obviously the pump can't run without some voltage goodness. :)

This is not the final cable routing, but it shows the rough idea.

(click image for full res)

Fan Power Delivery

Remember those clipped wires I mentioned yesterday and how I left some cable to solder

on to in case I ever needed them again? Good thing I did that. Originally I was going to run

the fans off the same cable as the pump, but then I realized that I would have to do double

wires inside the crimp connectors, which I really don't like. They're almost impossible

to crimp unless you have very thin wires (I don't), and they're an absolute nightmare to

sleeve.

So I've decided to to a dedicated fan cable. This is where I soldered the new wires onto

the remains of the old ones:

(click image for full res)

Overview:

(click image for full res)

And this is how I plan to connect the fans (at least at the moment :lol: ):

(click image for full res)

That's it for today, thanks for stopping by. :)