Ok, so I start out with the bestest of intentions of having Seuce ready for it's debutant's ball @ Quakecon2008... so, I started working hard to make that happen... after the fact I have realized that this goal was *wayyyy* too optomistic... but hey... you aim high!
SO... I start filling the machine with equipment to start getting my tubes laid out and routed.
WHat is a computer without a good PSU... and folks, Tagan steps up yet again and hammers out a home run with their STELLAR BZ900 modular PSU.... check this baby out!
All the expansion cables are kept in a service bag, that has a screw driver for those PSU screws.... there is more, but yo uwill have to read the review that will come out after I wrap up this mod. Let's just say Tagan has a great. detailed, customer centric presentation that happens right out of the box. It is a stellar unit that veels good and sturdy. I am looking forward to using it!
On the Saturday morning of QC, my wife wakes up to find her husband *still* spinning around the kitchen (yes, I took over hte kitchen, as it was just too hot to work in the garage). I had been working none stop.... and I think it was starting to show.
Center island has the top of the case with the window bent and attached. the Rad is attached, and the 2 hoses poking through there are to the rad...
I am so surprised that I was still so full of energy. I did not feel tired. Truly inspiring and wierd at the same moment.
That is Sophie... and she thinks, "Daddy haz leuzed his marblez..."
Me looking at the completed buildout of hte lower section, sans the roof and radiator...
I built a power bus bar to be used to hook up the 6 LED's that I had setup on the 5v supply side, as well as the 2 12v pumps sources. I simply took all the lines togheter and tied them into a common spade bit and attached them to a strip on this bus bar. I then built a standard female molex and tied the 12v - G - G- 5v into their corresponding bus bar terminal. I must say, this turned out to be a Godsend of work, as it allowed me to hook up an external PSU and run the pumps without firing up the unit running the motherboard. 1 plug for both the pumps and the corresponding LED work... sahwheet!
Full the reservoirs, and preparing to turn on the pumpz for a leak check... no wait... I dont eve nhave to turn on the pumps! I came back to the computer after loading the water (30 minutes, as I stepped away for a bit to eat...) and ZOMG! I'm missing water! WTF?!?!? Both res's were half full... uhm the loop on the right haz sum 'splaining to do!
Not a good pic, but I was grabbing the paper towels at this point....
I had 2 confirmed leaks. 1 off of the lower video card (cuz the water kept pouring out in lurches after collecting in the acrylic of the fan shroud!) and the other off of the pump intake.
It was here.... that I threw up my hands, stepped back, and went to QC without my rig.
Also, not pictured here was the fact that my top acrylic that my rad was attached to, cracked. I thought that I had caught all of the potential pain points, and had taked corrective actions to relieve the stresses.... apparently I missed one, because t fractured into the top window acrylics. I'll have to pull the top back off again and rebuild the window. I will likely have to contact Thermaltake to see if htey have nay spare tops laying around that I can buy off of them, because if I dont redesign this top window, I'm just going to be continually breaking and over stressing the acrylics.
what a freakin bummer.... but you dont learn without breaking a few eggs! Unfortunately, this was a rather unique egg that I had cur and etched with a laser.... &@)$&#()$*!!!!
So. I move into post quakecon mode... after taking a break and coming out to QC and hanging with the awesomness that are the Austin Modders, I return home refreshed and more relaxed.
Next up... the results of sleep and a bit more time to think about stuff....
