mDPX: Senior Project

dotyer · 10-31-06, 06:32 AM

Well, here it goes. I've been doing a lot of posting on sudhian.com about my project, but since I'm actually starting some real work I figured I'd post here as well. My Senior Project for my last year at college is a new way to look at constructing computers. It's main goal is to turn the PC modular and very small without sacrificing power and speed while keeping temperatures at a minimum. The idea came from flaws that appear in the giant "air boxes" and the mainstream SFF PCs. Think of it as a compromise of the two.

There are a few minor things that still need to be worked out as I want this to look as original as possible while maintaining a very simple and realistic design. It's extremely hard to explain without any images, so there should be some pictures up by the middle of next week as well as more details. I really wanted to post here to get some constructive criticism about different aspects of the project, so hopefully all of you will check it out as I post more and give me your opinions.

Adragontattoo · 10-31-06, 06:36 AM

interested to see the log as it goes along.

dotyer · 10-31-06, 01:32 PM

By the way, here is the list of my official sponsors. The parts for the project are in my sig.

Gigabyte Technology

Crucial.com

Danger Den Water Cooling

ACES

Also, here is a basic design diagram I threw together in AutoCAD to show what the front of the case is going to look like. The 120mm fan and radiator will be mounted to the front of the case on a custom faceplate and the reservior will be mounted with the pre-existing 80mm fan mounting holes. The MicroFly case looks much better once you tear off the "made by fisher-price" faceplate that comes with it.

shawkins · 10-31-06, 03:15 PM

What SATA DVD drive are you going to use?

Burdman27911 · 10-31-06, 03:56 PM

I'm also interested in your project... also, what is your major (CSE, ECE, ME... etc)? Looking forward to some more details.

PS- I'm sure Capt'n Slug will have some good input, as he had a somewhat similar project as well.

dotyer · 10-31-06, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shawkins

What SATA DVD drive are you going to use?

I want to use a Lite-on since they run for around $35 because I can't afford the $100 for the Plextor SATA DVD Drives.

My degree is Computer Technology BS Degree. It's currently going through ABET to get certified to be called Computer Engineering Technology. It's a mix of Networking, Computer Hardware, and Electronics with just about every upper level math and science my college offers (Differential Equations... *shudder*).

pik4chu · 10-31-06, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotyer

I want to use a Lite-on since they run for around $35 because I can't afford the $100 for the Plextor SATA DVD Drives.

My degree is Computer Technology BS Degree. It's currently going through ABET to get certified to be called Computer Engineering Technology. It's a mix of Networking, Computer Hardware, and Electronics with just about every upper level math and science my college offers (Differential Equations... *shudder*).

Well looks like you're off to a good start there, "subscribed"

PS - Yay for 'diffy-Q'

Sleepy_Steve · 10-31-06, 11:39 PM

Nice looking project.

Math scares me. so i went the busines information technology route.

dotyer · 11-01-06, 06:43 AM

My Danger Den Water System is suppose to be on my doorstep today. This only leaves the SATA DVD Drive and the four 1GB sticks of DDR left to purchase. It will be a long time before I get those unless I can get another sponsor. My 22nd birthday is in less than a week , so I'm going home to mooch off the parents. My dad has more tools than he knows what to do with so I should get most of my modding to the MicroFly case done there and have the water system in it not long after that.

Danger Den Kit:
-DDC 12V Pump (didn't have MAG II in stock)
-Black Ice Xtreme Radiator
-Cylindrical Reservior
-Danger Den Maze4 Chipset Water Block
-TDX Water Block for 775
-3/8" Red Tubing
-MCT-5 Non-conductive solution

BTW, I have an ECS mATX motherboard with TT Extreme Spirit NB HSF (sound does not work), 1GB DDR2-667, and an Audigy 4 SE (OEM Brand New) for sale if anyone is interested. $180 shipped for everything. Money helps me get out of debt. Just PM me please if you are interested.

Burdman27911 · 11-01-06, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotyer

(Differential Equations... *shudder*).

Diff Eq wasn't too bad*; I took it last semester... now the surprising thing is that I use it almost everyday.

Also subscribed

*note: it still wasn't the most fun I've had...

dotyer · 11-01-06, 01:03 PM

Nerdgasmic Squeal of Joy!

The quality of the Danger Den Water Cooling kit is superb. I'm not just saying that because they are a sponsor either. The pump's dimensions are larger than I had imagined, but it's still plenty small enough and the waterblocks look great. I'm glad I didn't order the brass tops for the water blocks as the lucite tops look very cool in my opinion. I cannot wait to get my case ready to install it. The hardest part is going to be making a custom faceplate that will hold the fan and radiator.

Seven · 11-01-06, 05:58 PM

I'd pick up the alphacool top for that DDC for an extra $30, it improves performance noticibly, especially with a block as restrictive as the TDX.

7

dotyer · 11-05-06, 05:26 PM

Okay, my Dad happened to have a pop rivet gun so making the external box was a breeze. Here is a pic of how the external box is going to be set up (I'm calling it the ExBox

)

Here is a pic of the Crucial Ballistix DDR2 that I received a week or two ago. Since Crucial.com is a sponsor I figure I better include a picture of that as well.

Coming soon, updated pictures of the MicroFly case with the work I've done so far and probably a pic of the Gigabyte iRAM, if I haven't posted one of that yet.

dotyer · 11-07-06, 11:27 AM

Well, I started working on my case and water cooling this morning and somehow I missed two classes

I thought I had to go buy distilled water, but upon reading the label of my MCT-5 I found out that it's not an additive. It's an all-in-one cooler so all I have to do is fill it up with that. Basically all I have to do now is finish modding the face of the case and leak test the system. When the water cooling parts are in their respective spots in the case the tubing is fine, but I think it would still be wise to buy some of that coil that helps prevent kinking.

This picture reminds me of when I was ten years old and kept a sick baby duck in a rubber tub. Let's hope the water cooler fares better than the duck did.

dotyer · 11-17-06, 12:14 PM

It's been a long couple of weeks with all the work my other classes have been giving me. Yesterday I found some time to go the the lab and finish cutting out the metal that was in my way. Also, I made a faceplate out of some cheap aluminum I found. Obviously it needs to be cleaned, painted and mounted onto the case. Once that is mounted on I can put the water cooler in the case.

shawkins · 11-17-06, 12:28 PM

It is looking great!

Its probably a good thing you got the DDC pump as havent people had trouble with the MAG II?

dotyer · 11-17-06, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shawkins

Its probably a good thing you got the DDC pump as havent people had trouble with the MAG II?

I haven't heard anything, but I really like this DDC pump. It's not too loud and I haven't got all the bubbles out yet. By the way, is it safe to run a water pump on it's side or upside down? I want to mount it on its side on a brace in the case, but I won't do it if it'll cause a malfunction.

shawkins · 11-17-06, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotyer

I haven't heard anything, but I really like this DDC pump. It's not too loud and I haven't got all the bubbles out yet. By the way, is it safe to run a water pump on it's side or upside down? I want to mount it on its side on a brace in the case, but I won't do it if it'll cause a malfunction.

I think with that pump it is ok to mount it any way, but do a search in the watercooling section just to be sure.

dotyer · 11-20-06, 05:03 AM

I'm still working on the case. The faceplate isn't coming out as nice as I thought it would, but it's basically a prototype and with a decal and case badges on it, it shouldn't look too bad. Anyways...

Since I still have a day or twos work before I can install the water cooler I've been looking at my motherboard. Obviously the CPU and chipset will be water cooled, but the PWMs and the other chip (which I assume to be the southbridge) get extremely hot. PWMs register 70 degrees celsius or more at full load. For the chip I'd like to get a small heatsink and fan, but it is going to have to be very low profile as my iRAM will extend over it. Also, I plan on putting some high quality Arctic Silver between the PWM and it's heatsink since I bet theres some thick white goop in there.

Anyone have any suggestions on cooling the PWMs? (marked in upper part of pic) Someone suggested I throw a water block on it, but I'd rather stick with basic air cooling for them. I don't know what it looks like under that heatsink yet, but I'm hoping there's a better passive solution that will drop it a few degrees because I'm sure thats going to burn up if I overclock.

gangaskan · 11-20-06, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotyer

Anyone have any suggestions on cooling the PWMs? (marked in upper part of pic)

what about trying to use a blower fan? and exhaust heat outside the case?

10-31-06, 06:32 AM	Thread Starter #1
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	mDPX: Senior Project Well, here it goes. I've been doing a lot of posting on sudhian.com about my project, but since I'm actually starting some real work I figured I'd post here as well. My Senior Project for my last year at college is a new way to look at constructing computers. It's main goal is to turn the PC modular and very small without sacrificing power and speed while keeping temperatures at a minimum. The idea came from flaws that appear in the giant "air boxes" and the mainstream SFF PCs. Think of it as a compromise of the two. There are a few minor things that still need to be worked out as I want this to look as original as possible while maintaining a very simple and realistic design. It's extremely hard to explain without any images, so there should be some pictures up by the middle of next week as well as more details. I really wanted to post here to get some constructive criticism about different aspects of the project, so hopefully all of you will check it out as I post more and give me your opinions.
	QUOTE Thanks

10-31-06, 06:36 AM	#2
Adragontattoo Trailer Chasing Senior Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: 102 year old Victorian that I am renovat/moderniz-ing and fixing.	interested to see the log as it goes along. __________________ Only ISP provided, .EDU, .GOV, .MIL e-mail addresses are Classifieds approved. Are you unable to access the Classifieds? Click here to find out why! The Forum Rules FAQ\|Classies Rules and Regs Prices, slashes and edits Quality over Quantity Pictures are NOT req. Adopt an animal if you want one, dont use a breeder!
	QUOTE Thanks

10-31-06, 01:32 PM	Thread Starter #3
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	By the way, here is the list of my official sponsors. The parts for the project are in my sig. Gigabyte Technology Crucial.com Danger Den Water Cooling ACES Also, here is a basic design diagram I threw together in AutoCAD to show what the front of the case is going to look like. The 120mm fan and radiator will be mounted to the front of the case on a custom faceplate and the reservior will be mounted with the pre-existing 80mm fan mounting holes. The MicroFly case looks much better once you tear off the "made by fisher-price" faceplate that comes with it. Last edited by dotyer; 11-01-06 at 08:43 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

10-31-06, 03:15 PM	#4
shawkins Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Tigard, Oregon	What SATA DVD drive are you going to use?
	QUOTE Thanks

10-31-06, 03:56 PM	#5
Burdman27911 Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Central North Carolina, USA	I'm also interested in your project... also, what is your major (CSE, ECE, ME... etc)? Looking forward to some more details. PS- I'm sure Capt'n Slug will have some good input, as he had a somewhat similar project as well. __________________ CPU: Intel QX9650 @ 3.7GHz (for now) MOBO: GA-EP45-UD3P GPU: AMD HD 6970 w/ Thermalright Shaman cooler RAM: 2x2GB OCZ Reaper DDR2-800 + 2x2GB Geil EVOone DDR2-800 PSU: Antec SG650 Signature Cooling: (CPU) Watercooled with BIXII, EK Supreme, and D5 Laing (Case) 3x Scythe Ultra Kaze 120mm Ridin' with the King ††† HEATWARE
	QUOTE Thanks

mDPX: Senior Project

Internet Services

Website Development

Tech Hardware

10-31-06, 11:39 PM	#8
Sleepy_Steve Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: VT... or MD	Nice looking project. Math scares me. so i went the busines information technology route. __________________ CPU i7-2600 Cooling CM 212+ w/ 2 fans RAM 4x4gb G.Skill DDR3 1333 Video 9800GT & 8600GT Storage 1TB Raid0 system & 2TB storage HEAT
	QUOTE Thanks

11-01-06, 06:43 AM	Thread Starter #9
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	My Danger Den Water System is suppose to be on my doorstep today. This only leaves the SATA DVD Drive and the four 1GB sticks of DDR left to purchase. It will be a long time before I get those unless I can get another sponsor. My 22nd birthday is in less than a week , so I'm going home to mooch off the parents. My dad has more tools than he knows what to do with so I should get most of my modding to the MicroFly case done there and have the water system in it not long after that. Danger Den Kit: -DDC 12V Pump (didn't have MAG II in stock) -Black Ice Xtreme Radiator -Cylindrical Reservior -Danger Den Maze4 Chipset Water Block -TDX Water Block for 775 -3/8" Red Tubing -MCT-5 Non-conductive solution BTW, I have an ECS mATX motherboard with TT Extreme Spirit NB HSF (sound does not work), 1GB DDR2-667, and an Audigy 4 SE (OEM Brand New) for sale if anyone is interested. $180 shipped for everything. Money helps me get out of debt. Just PM me please if you are interested. Last edited by dotyer; 11-01-06 at 06:59 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-01-06, 01:03 PM	Thread Starter #11
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	Nerdgasmic Squeal of Joy! The quality of the Danger Den Water Cooling kit is superb. I'm not just saying that because they are a sponsor either. The pump's dimensions are larger than I had imagined, but it's still plenty small enough and the waterblocks look great. I'm glad I didn't order the brass tops for the water blocks as the lucite tops look very cool in my opinion. I cannot wait to get my case ready to install it. The hardest part is going to be making a custom faceplate that will hold the fan and radiator.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-01-06, 05:58 PM	#12
Seven Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles	I'd pick up the alphacool top for that DDC for an extra $30, it improves performance noticibly, especially with a block as restrictive as the TDX. 7 __________________ HEAT!
	QUOTE Thanks

11-05-06, 05:26 PM	Thread Starter #13
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	Okay, my Dad happened to have a pop rivet gun so making the external box was a breeze. Here is a pic of how the external box is going to be set up (I'm calling it the ExBox ) Here is a pic of the Crucial Ballistix DDR2 that I received a week or two ago. Since Crucial.com is a sponsor I figure I better include a picture of that as well. Coming soon, updated pictures of the MicroFly case with the work I've done so far and probably a pic of the Gigabyte iRAM, if I haven't posted one of that yet.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-07-06, 11:27 AM	Thread Starter #14
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	Well, I started working on my case and water cooling this morning and somehow I missed two classes I thought I had to go buy distilled water, but upon reading the label of my MCT-5 I found out that it's not an additive. It's an all-in-one cooler so all I have to do is fill it up with that. Basically all I have to do now is finish modding the face of the case and leak test the system. When the water cooling parts are in their respective spots in the case the tubing is fine, but I think it would still be wise to buy some of that coil that helps prevent kinking. This picture reminds me of when I was ten years old and kept a sick baby duck in a rubber tub. Let's hope the water cooler fares better than the duck did.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-17-06, 12:14 PM	Thread Starter #15
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	It's been a long couple of weeks with all the work my other classes have been giving me. Yesterday I found some time to go the the lab and finish cutting out the metal that was in my way. Also, I made a faceplate out of some cheap aluminum I found. Obviously it needs to be cleaned, painted and mounted onto the case. Once that is mounted on I can put the water cooler in the case.
	QUOTE Thanks

11-17-06, 12:28 PM	#16
shawkins Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Tigard, Oregon	It is looking great! Its probably a good thing you got the DDC pump as havent people had trouble with the MAG II?
	QUOTE Thanks

11-20-06, 05:03 AM	Thread Starter #19
dotyer Registered Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle	I'm still working on the case. The faceplate isn't coming out as nice as I thought it would, but it's basically a prototype and with a decal and case badges on it, it shouldn't look too bad. Anyways... Since I still have a day or twos work before I can install the water cooler I've been looking at my motherboard. Obviously the CPU and chipset will be water cooled, but the PWMs and the other chip (which I assume to be the southbridge) get extremely hot. PWMs register 70 degrees celsius or more at full load. For the chip I'd like to get a small heatsink and fan, but it is going to have to be very low profile as my iRAM will extend over it. Also, I plan on putting some high quality Arctic Silver between the PWM and it's heatsink since I bet theres some thick white goop in there. Anyone have any suggestions on cooling the PWMs? (marked in upper part of pic) Someone suggested I throw a water block on it, but I'd rather stick with basic air cooling for them. I don't know what it looks like under that heatsink yet, but I'm hoping there's a better passive solution that will drop it a few degrees because I'm sure thats going to burn up if I overclock.
	QUOTE Thanks

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