Made my own DDC acrylic top- How & Pics

[WarriorII]

Very nice.

Glad to hear you got things worked out finally.

1/8" off.... I was gonna say, could you "shim" it somehow?

 

[voigts]

Very nice.

Glad to hear you got things worked out finally.

1/8" off.... I was gonna say, could you "shim" it somehow?

Thanks.
I don't see shimming the rev3 block possible. The rev4 block isn't off at all however so that is what I am planning on using.

 

[Otter]

Great work, Voigts.

I wish I had a way to test the pump PSI, but I am figuring based on Robotech's results doing the flow mod at systemcooling.com that there isn't much of a difference.

To test the available head, you could run a long tube up the side of your house and see how high the pump can push water. That won't give you a PQ curve, but with the free flow test and Robotech's data, it would be enough to make some good guesses.

i dont think they cast them. Usually when stuff is cast it is much cheaper than a machined part. If they are casted, they must make a lot of profit on those tops.

I'd be surprised if they weren't cast, but the market for DDC tops probably isn't very large. And when you only sell a few of something, each piece has to cover more of the design and tooling costs. Add the cost of finishing something that's clear, and hence shows the slightest flaw, a higher failure rate for the same reason, and everything you need to cope with the toxic fumes clear plastics put out while they cure, and it's not surprising those tops aren't cheap.

 

[clocker2]

This comes out to a 76% improvement in flow over the standard top.

That's an enormous increase in flow for such a simple modification (not everybody makes an entirely new top...the center inlet can be added to the stock cover relatively easily).
Makes me wonder why Laing doesn't offer a stock version configured this way.

 

[voigts]

That's an enormous increase in flow for such a simple modification (not everybody makes an entirely new top...the center inlet can be added to the stock cover relatively easily).
Makes me wonder why Laing doesn't offer a stock version configured this way.

I would like to see you do a before/after original/radiical flow comparison with your pump before you install it to compare results.

I would think the reason that Laing doesn't is that the PC watercooling industy represents such a small part of their sales that it is not worth casting a top just for us. They don't make this pump for our use, we just use it because it works well. It would be nice if they would however.

 

[clocker2]

I would like to see you do a before/after original/radiical flow comparison with your pump before you install it to compare results.

Would you now.
We'll see.
Were I not so pressed for time I'd be happy to reinstall the stock top but I suspect that the results would (should?) be pretty similar to yours.
I have quite a bit of fabrication/installation to get done today or Sprocket will be down till next Sunday (at the earliest).
Assuming I can get the modding done and the adhesive dries, I'll try to do a Radiical topped flow test before I install the pump/rez combo.

Sorry, but that will have to do.
I have grand plans, but limited time to execute them.

 

[voigts]

Would you now.
We'll see.
Were I not so pressed for time I'd be happy to reinstall the stock top but I suspect that the results would (should?) be pretty similar to yours.
I have quite a bit of fabrication/installation to get done today or Sprocket will be down till next Sunday (at the earliest).
Assuming I can get the modding done and the adhesive dries, I'll try to do a Radiical topped flow test before I install the pump/rez combo.

Sorry, but that will have to do.
I have grand plans, but limited time to execute them.

I am assuming this is something you are making for someone Sprocket? Do you have any pics of this pump/res combo you are working on? I thought the radiical top was for your system.

 

[Otter]

I would think the reason that Laing doesn't is that the PC watercooling industy represents such a small part of their sales that it is not worth casting a top just for us. They don't make this pump for our use, we just use it because it works well. It would be nice if they would however.

IIRC, the original buyer of the DDC was Apple. So it is made for the watercooling market, it's just not made for hotrodders like us. Ironically, it is because it was designed for cooling a computer that it has that elbow at the inlet -- so it could fit into a drive bay.

 

[clocker2]

I am assuming this is something you are making for someone Sprocket? Do you have any pics of this pump/res combo you are working on? I thought the radiical top was for your system.

Oh no, Sprocket is my PC and the Radical top/pump is for her.
I killed 5 hours today trying to design/fit a pump/rez combo before giving up and reusing the Swiftec mini-rez that was in the old loop.
This round of mods involved replacing the 1/2" Tygon with 3/8", swapping out the Storm (rev.1) for an Apogee, replacing the Maze GPU with the Stasis Thermal Neptune and the MCP655 pump with the MCP355/Radiical top. Also, the Maze chipset block was ditched in favor of a Jing-Ting Chipforce heatpipe cooler.
Whew!

I did replicate your flow test however.
At least the modified top part.
I ran it once just to prime the pump and get my timing set up...don't have a stopwatch so I had to use an atomic sychronized clock, but the results of the next three runs were all within a second or so of each other so I think I got it pretty close.
2 gallons in 48 seconds.
The second run was 46 sec., but I'll settle for 48sec. as an average.
So, 150 GPH give or take.

This little hummer rawks!

Best of all, the annoying high-pitched whine of the MCP655 is completely absent.

In the second shot you can see that the pump sits edgewise, the outlet pointing straight into the radiator inlet. The tube from the reservoir to the center of the Radiical top is 1/2" to ensure sufficient flow to the impellor.

Even with the 90degree fittings and the smaller tubing the flow in this loop is noticably stronger than the old loop.
Losing the northbridge block and swapping out the Storm for the freer-flowing Apogee probably accounts for this.
So far, CPU and GPU temps remain identical to the large-bore setup but the Jing-Ting is not as good as the Maze4...NB temp has gone from @27c to 40c.
Edit: Apparently my NB fan header is dead. Moving to a functional header has dropped NB temps to the low 30's. Still not as good as the waterblock but much more acceptable .

 

[nikhsub1]

That's an enormous increase in flow for such a simple modification (not everybody makes an entirely new top...the center inlet can be added to the stock cover relatively easily).
Makes me wonder why Laing doesn't offer a stock version configured this way.

This has been known for a long time now, modded top almost doubles flow rate. See here: http://www.systemcooling.com/images/reviews/LiquidCooling/Swiftech_MCP350_Mod/image10big.gif

 

[voigts]

Very nice setup Clocker2. I can't say that I've given my PC a name, although my wife has accused me of loving it more than her at times given the amount of time I have spent messing with it. I guess in a way she has at times had a point about the time thing...

Stinks that the res thing didn't work out. It can be frustrating sometimes when you spend hours only to have to give up in futility.

Thanks for running the test. That tells me that my homemade top is flowing on par with the radiical top. I figured it would. I have three blocks of acrylic left. I am toying around with the idea of making three more tops just for the fun of it.

I've got some changes to make to mine also. I'm going to change some tubing routing to make wire management easier and go to the DDC pump with my acrylic top hopefully at the end of this week.

 

[clocker2]

Thanks for running the test. That tells me that my homemade top is flowing on par with the radiical top. I figured it would. I have three blocks of acrylic left. I am toying around with the idea of making three more tops just for the fun of it.

I suspect that had our test setups been identical the results would have been closer as well.
I had the "feed tank" (AKA, 5 gallon paint bucket) directly above the pump...total tube length @ 2" from bottom of bucket to pump intake. So I had 3 gallons of (distilled) water sitting right on the impellor inlet. You had much more tubing...maybe that would account for some of the discrepancy.

BTW,I could have made the rez work but it would have involved modifications specific to this install. Since I'm considering a move to a new case (TJ07) I decided to leave it alone for the time being.

 

[voigts]

Are you sure your top is a radiical top? The reason I ask is that is does not match at all the pics that are on the radiical.com.au website, but it looks exactly like the Alphacool top.

Those TJ107 cases are just too expensive. I actually saw one at Microcenter in Atlanta a few weeks ago being clearanced for $100 and I thought that was a cheap price. But I don't need a case. I'd still like to see that res of yours.

 

[clocker2]

Jeez, maybe it is an Alphacool top.
It was sold as a Radiical though and I admit I did no research...bought it on a whim a few months ago.

This is the rez I was trying to fit.
I could machine new end caps for it and mount to my (unknown)pump top but decided not to bother right now.

 

[voigts]

I sure hope you didn't spend $70 + shipping on that thing. Anodized aluminum

In the case of your top, it must be the Alphacool. Nothing wrong with that, I just think the radiical top looks much better.

 

[Otter]

In the case of your top, it must be the Alphacool. Nothing wrong with that, I just think the radiical top looks much better.

I agree. And it should get a little more performance to boot. But Alphacool's top isn't bad at all. Awfully expensive, though.

I'd like to see someone make a make a no-frills, any-color-you-want-as long-as-it's-black, high-performance top for the DDC and sell it for around $15.

 

[voigts]

I agree. And it should get a little more performance to boot. But Alphacool's top isn't bad at all. Awfully expensive, though.

I'd like to see someone make a make a no-frills, any-color-you-want-as long-as-it's-black, high-performance top for the DDC and sell it for around $15.

The Alphacool isn't really expensive if you live in Europe. It is only like 20Euro for them.

$15 for a top would be nice, but it would have to take some serious volume for that to work. Although the top can be cast, just having to cut the threads has to add to the cost.

 

[nachosyumm]

Over the summer ill work on the top unless someone else does. There is obviously a US market for them. Im going to buy a 350 this sunday when i drive up to microcenter. I love my iwaki, but since i am replacing my fans with quieter ones I felt i should also get a quieter pump. Also, i am working on a smaller case and the iwakis are huge.

Are the only places to buy the tops overseas?


Personally i dont mind modding the top, but I would prefer to have a 1/2 outlet.

 

[Otter]

$15 for a top would be nice, but it would have to take some serious volume for that to work. Although the top can be cast, just having to cut the threads has to add to the cost.

I was thinking molded 1/2" barbs with no threads.

Oh, do you mean the threads for the bolts that hold the pump together? Maybe some kind of cap nut could be epoxied in. Hmmm, even friction fit would be good enough if the nut rested on the top.

 

[voigts]

I was thinking molded 1/2" barbs with no threads.

Oh, do you mean the threads for the bolts that hold the pump together? Maybe some kind of cap nut could be epoxied in. Hmmm, even friction fit would be good enough if the nut rested on the top.

I could see 1/2" barbs molded in work. I hadn't thought of that for some reason, but that makes sense.

As for the mounting threads, you could just leave a hole going all of the way through so that a bolt goes into a cap nut. It looks better having the bolt actually screw into the top, but I think that could still look OK. That way there would be no threading required.

nachosyumm: Voyuermods imports Alphacool tops from Germany (http://www.voyeurmods.com/index.php?action=item&id=2395&prevaction=category&previd=2&prevstart=0). As far as I know they are the only US seller. The only other clear top I am aware of is the radiical.com.au turbo head from Australia.

I must admit though that I do prefer the look of my own top over the Alphacool.