- Joined
- Aug 11, 2005
- Location
- southern california
after all that work, i would prefer it too
-
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Made my own DDC acrylic top- How & Pics
- Thread starter voigts
- Start date
Upon casual inspection it appears that the only real difference between the Aphacool and Radiical tops is Alphacool's inclusion of the "legacy" side input channel.
Not at all sure why they did this although in my install it was a handy place to plumb in a drain line.
And yes, I did spend $70 on the aluminum rez...it is very nicely made, looks quite nice (your opinion may vary) and I consider the "problem" of mixing metals in a loop to be waaaay overexaggerated.
I think the idea of using through bolts/nuts rather than threading the top itself makes a great deal of sense. After my experience with the Stasis Thermal Neptune block I'm leery of threaded plastic as a retaining method irregardless of the type of plastic involved.
Not at all sure why they did this although in my install it was a handy place to plumb in a drain line.
And yes, I did spend $70 on the aluminum rez...it is very nicely made, looks quite nice (your opinion may vary) and I consider the "problem" of mixing metals in a loop to be waaaay overexaggerated.
I think the idea of using through bolts/nuts rather than threading the top itself makes a great deal of sense. After my experience with the Stasis Thermal Neptune block I'm leery of threaded plastic as a retaining method irregardless of the type of plastic involved.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2003
- Location
- Saint Louis, MO USA
clocker2 said:
Here's what can happen with a mixed metal system. Of course, anticorrosive additives (antifreeze for instance) will slow this process down, but unless you change it out regularly (bad for the environment, even when properly disposed) you're going to see this type of corrosion eventually.
Senfu Gone WRONG
- Thread Starter
- #84
clocker2 said:
That res does look very good I'll admit, its just that $70 is a lot to pay for just a res. And I do agree that the problem of mixed metal is overexaggerated when you are talking about copper and anodized aluminum. I just personally would rather avoid mixing these when possible.
What happened with your Stasis Thermal block?
I hate when tools die. I started working on 3 more blocks just to try a couple of ideas and my stupid rotary tool died. Now I have got to go get another one. I guess that is what I get for not buying a Dremel to start with. The problem is that I am broke for the next couple of days so I'm stuck waiting.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2003
- Location
- Saint Louis, MO USA
Is the inside of that rez annodized though?
.... OK, back on topic:
Excellent work with the new top. I am amazed at your skills and determination.
.... OK, back on topic:
Excellent work with the new top. I am amazed at your skills and determination.
Yes, of course it is.MoreGooder said:
One of the four mounting studs pulled right out of the block. It's a 2-56 rod, threaded into the Delrin top plate. Horrible design, IMO.voigts said:
When's the funeral and where do we send flowers?voigts said:
- Thread Starter
- #87
clocker2 said:
And that block was supposed to be so perfect from the thread about it.
Very funny about the funeral part.
Of course after spending $70 on that high speed glorified aluminum res, you might not have any money left.
Its just that not only did my rotary tool die, my rotozip got jammed and tore up also a few days before. And as you know, tools aren't cheap these days.
- Joined
- May 6, 2004
- Location
- I live by a Delta
I must admit that when I first seen this thread immedately a vision of a empty two liter bottle, some super glue, a pair of scissors and some duct tape and some bailing wire popped into my head. You know the usual "MacGyver" DIY WCed Parts you see. Wow!! was I wrong. This is a first rate job. Nicely done!!!
- Thread Starter
- #90
No, he means the D5. The D5 does whine quite a bit compared to the MCP350. The MCP350 does not have that high-pitch to it at all and is quieter also. The D4 sounded like a fire truck.mistermr said:
Electron Chaser said:
I appreciate that comment.
I went back and made two more blocks this time angling the outlet like the Alphacool block. Both came out fine and I tested them tonight and they work fine, but I still like my revision 4 block best, so I think that is the one I am going to use. I have used all 7 blocks of acrylic that I had so I guess my top building days are at a stand-still.
Also, I picked up a pencil torch and found that it worked great to flame polish the small grooves around the impellor chamber area. The normal MAPP plumbing torch just has too large of a flame for this. I was able to make the chamber just about crystal clear.
- Thread Starter
- #91
Well, I ordered a MCP350 10w pump to do some side-by-side comparisions with. I tried it last night.
With the 18w pump I have as I mentioned above, it took 130 seconds with the stock top to fill 2 gallons, and 51 seconds with my rev 4 top to fill 2 gallons.
With the 10w pump, it took about 125 seconds with the stock top to fill 2 gallons, and 43 seconds with my rev 4 top to fill 2 gallons.
The 10w outperformed the 18w??? The 18w is rated at having 600LPH vs the 10w having 400LPH.
The only thing I can think of that would be causing this are issues with the 18w pump. I have used it to do some testing only with but it doesn't want to start up properly, kind of chugs when it does, and now gets unusually hot on the bottom in a very short time. It could just be that I got a rare dud.
Any thoughts?
Also, I did some sound comparisons which I am posting in another thread if anyone's interested: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=453456&page=3
With the 18w pump I have as I mentioned above, it took 130 seconds with the stock top to fill 2 gallons, and 51 seconds with my rev 4 top to fill 2 gallons.
With the 10w pump, it took about 125 seconds with the stock top to fill 2 gallons, and 43 seconds with my rev 4 top to fill 2 gallons.
The 10w outperformed the 18w??? The 18w is rated at having 600LPH vs the 10w having 400LPH.
The only thing I can think of that would be causing this are issues with the 18w pump. I have used it to do some testing only with but it doesn't want to start up properly, kind of chugs when it does, and now gets unusually hot on the bottom in a very short time. It could just be that I got a rare dud.
Any thoughts?
Also, I did some sound comparisons which I am posting in another thread if anyone's interested: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=453456&page=3
- Thread Starter
- #93
BWR said:
The one thing that makes me think that, although this pump may be developing issues, it is still pumping out fine is that on the previous page, Clocker2 timed his 18w with an Alphacool top and its time is almost the same as my time. So his 18w pump timed about the same as mine.
- Thread Starter
- #95
clocker2 said:
Somehow I doubt that is the case, but I see no reason that it should not perform the same as the Alphacool since both are just slight variations of the original top.
I may just start a different thread regarding this, but the point that i am puzzled about is the fact that I am getting slightly better numbers with both the stock top AND my top than I got with the 18w, and your numbers agree with mine as to the output of the 18w. I used the EXACT same setup to test them both.
Something is going on when the 18w that both you and I have are performing on a free flow test THE SAME OR WORSE than the 10w. Does the 18w really perform better than the 10w despite what the numbers say?
I don't know as I have no 10w version to play with.voigts said:
Also, I never tested the 18w with the stock top- I'm fond of voiding warranties as soon as possible you know.
My loop gets redone as soon as the new mobo shows up...maybe I'll rerun the flow test again while the pump is out of the case. If I do I'll try to get a real stopwatch to play with...trying to look at a clock and the bucket concurrently was a real PITA.
At any rate, the modded 355 is flowing way more than the 655 did.
It now churns the Swiftech minirez much more actively than the larger pump (although the change in CPU blocks and eliminating the NB probably explains why).
This time round the NB block goes back in and I'm going to retry the reviled aluminum rez...we'll see how the 18w handles all that.
- Thread Starter
- #97
Final Flow Testing Results
Ok, I went and swapped out the problematic 18w pump. To be honest, I don't think it was the pump's fault that it went bad. While testing the first two blocks, the pump impeller did rub up against the top and stopped spinning. This probably caused the problems with it. Of course I fixed this issue with the rev3 and rev4 tops (I also made a couple of rev5 tops not pictured).
So, here are some final flow test numbers:
DDC 10w- rated at 400lph
Stock top- 90 seconds for 2 gallons = 80gph=303lph
My rev4 top- 43 seconds for 2 gallons =167gph=632lph
DDC 18w- rated at 600lph
Stock top- 56 seconds for 2 gallons = 128gph=484lph
My rev4 top- 34 sconds for 2 gallons = 211gph=799lph
Some observations:
1. Both pumps are performing at about 100lph less than rated in my sink setup doing about 1' up uphill pumping through about 3' of tubing.
2. The difference between the two in pumping power remains about the same regardless of the top used. There is an average of about a 170lph difference between the two in my test setup.
3. The percent of improvement between the two pumps diminishes with the use of my top. With the stock top, there is a whopping 59% improvement in flow from the 10w to the 18w. With my top, there is only a 26% improvement from the 10w to the 18w.
4. Comparing against the PQ curve of the D5, the 10w with my top is roughly equal to the D5 on number 3, and the 18w with my top is roughly equal to the D5 on number 4.
5. For the person like me who is neurotic about noise levels, this presents the question that given that the 18w is noticably louder than the 10w, with my top is it worth using the 18w pump for only a 26% improvement, which given the increased flowrates, may not result in any measurable system temp or performance difference?
Ok, I went and swapped out the problematic 18w pump. To be honest, I don't think it was the pump's fault that it went bad. While testing the first two blocks, the pump impeller did rub up against the top and stopped spinning. This probably caused the problems with it. Of course I fixed this issue with the rev3 and rev4 tops (I also made a couple of rev5 tops not pictured).
So, here are some final flow test numbers:
DDC 10w- rated at 400lph
Stock top- 90 seconds for 2 gallons = 80gph=303lph
My rev4 top- 43 seconds for 2 gallons =167gph=632lph
DDC 18w- rated at 600lph
Stock top- 56 seconds for 2 gallons = 128gph=484lph
My rev4 top- 34 sconds for 2 gallons = 211gph=799lph
Some observations:
1. Both pumps are performing at about 100lph less than rated in my sink setup doing about 1' up uphill pumping through about 3' of tubing.
2. The difference between the two in pumping power remains about the same regardless of the top used. There is an average of about a 170lph difference between the two in my test setup.
3. The percent of improvement between the two pumps diminishes with the use of my top. With the stock top, there is a whopping 59% improvement in flow from the 10w to the 18w. With my top, there is only a 26% improvement from the 10w to the 18w.
4. Comparing against the PQ curve of the D5, the 10w with my top is roughly equal to the D5 on number 3, and the 18w with my top is roughly equal to the D5 on number 4.
5. For the person like me who is neurotic about noise levels, this presents the question that given that the 18w is noticably louder than the 10w, with my top is it worth using the 18w pump for only a 26% improvement, which given the increased flowrates, may not result in any measurable system temp or performance difference?
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Location
- Spokane, WA
Hey voigts I was wondering what bit you used to bore the 1.5" hole in the block? I need to make a new top since I fubared my alphacool trying to mod it. :\ I have some forstner bits and they seen perfect.
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2004
- Location
- Clermont, Florida
voigts - awesome work. I wish I had the skills... 
- Thread Starter
- #100
I don't think a forstner bit will work as well as they make rough cuts, not to mention a forstner bit that large is expensive.
I just used a plain old wood boring bit to cut the hole, and then I used a rotary tool with a small coarse sanding drum to make a bit of a spiral to the chamber just like the stock top. The hole that the point of the bit makes I then drilled out for the inlet barb. The rotary tool is your friend in this project.
It was a fun project, but it took several tries to get it right. One thing is absolutely essential. You have to use cast acrylic as it is a lot harder and behaves more like wood. Otherwise if you use extruded acrylic, it just melts when you try to drill it or work with it.
I liked the wood bit also in that it makes a very clean cut hole. And it is very important to get the hole to exactly the right depth so that you have minimal clearance between the impeller and the top so that you don't have a problem with leakage.
The two other challenges are getting the mounting holes exactly right so that the impeller sits properly in the spiral shape of the chamber, and secondly drilling the chamber outlet hole without making the acrylic around the hole too thin.
Honestly, with the invent of Petras top, it probably isn't worth the trouble. I didn't like the Alphacool top, and am glad I made my own. It still is happily chugging away in my rig. And his top is almost a mirror of what I came up with. But truthfully I would consider buying his top. If you like the challenge and have the tools though, have at it.
I have to say however that it is gratifying to me to have made my own, and to see that it performs on par with the best the commercial world has to offer.
I just used a plain old wood boring bit to cut the hole, and then I used a rotary tool with a small coarse sanding drum to make a bit of a spiral to the chamber just like the stock top. The hole that the point of the bit makes I then drilled out for the inlet barb. The rotary tool is your friend in this project.
It was a fun project, but it took several tries to get it right. One thing is absolutely essential. You have to use cast acrylic as it is a lot harder and behaves more like wood. Otherwise if you use extruded acrylic, it just melts when you try to drill it or work with it.
I liked the wood bit also in that it makes a very clean cut hole. And it is very important to get the hole to exactly the right depth so that you have minimal clearance between the impeller and the top so that you don't have a problem with leakage.
The two other challenges are getting the mounting holes exactly right so that the impeller sits properly in the spiral shape of the chamber, and secondly drilling the chamber outlet hole without making the acrylic around the hole too thin.
Honestly, with the invent of Petras top, it probably isn't worth the trouble. I didn't like the Alphacool top, and am glad I made my own. It still is happily chugging away in my rig. And his top is almost a mirror of what I came up with. But truthfully I would consider buying his top. If you like the challenge and have the tools though, have at it.
I have to say however that it is gratifying to me to have made my own, and to see that it performs on par with the best the commercial world has to offer.
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