Project: Valkyri Phase One

Post logs of your latest creation in here.
Obituary
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Post by Obituary »

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
http://www.transcendit.co.za/

[Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600]
[Asus P5N32e-Sli Mobo]
[8GB Hynix DDR2-800]
[750gb + 400gb + 320gb + 160gb SATA2 HDD]
[Nvidia 9800GTX]
[Raidmax Power 700W]
[Aztec Gaming Rig]
[Microsoft Razer Gaming Keyboard, Logitech MX518, 2x 300w Rocksonic Speakers + Rocksonic AMP]
[Acer 19" Wide LCD]
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

That looks really GOOD. Nice work man!!!
DoOb
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Post by DoOb »

you better spray those pipes with a clear laquer or you will see yourself mainitaining that shine very often
Image
Vampyre_2099
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Post by Vampyre_2099 »

Yip, else you'll be polishing your pipes a lot :lol:
mybrute
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Desktop: Q8200 @ 2.33GHz ~ TRUE ~ DP35DP ~ 4GB Transcend Jetram RAM ~ Nvidia 8800GT ~ 250GB HDD
Notebook: T5550 @ 1.83GHz ~ 2GB RAM ~ ATI HD 2400 XT ~ 160GB HDD
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

mmmmfffff :)
Ok jokes aside for the moment...(not that I don't appreciate them, though)

I thought I'd posted the following item, but obviously not...it is very basic and probably serves no purpose but add some eye candy.
It consists of 2 x 40mm 24Volt fans which I attached to an original blank plate(after I made the required provisions for air to pass through it of course.)
To minimise wiring, I had to join the fans in parallel and to make things a bit tidier I chose to use one of the existing connectors. I will be able to remove the unit without having to cut any wires which could be a bonus.
It does work on 12 Volt, but does not move as much air as it would on 24 Volt. Oh well, I'll probably get a 24 Volt transformer hooked up in some way, but these fans make a helluva noise and I don't realy want this machine to be a screaming banchee.

Again refer to the pics...
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I have made some structural changes to the case itself, in preparation for the HDD's, and have sanded down, PRIMED and resprayed said item. I don't think showing another spray job would be of much interest, as it looks the same as right in the beginning.
This weekend some major updates will jump out the bag. Hope to see you then.

Cheers,
LJ

PS: You guys have a real sense of humour. Keep it up :D
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

I like the copper fan spray job. Pity you couldn't get 12V 40mm fans. I have some of those in my current case and I also have a noise problem with them BUT They are situated just above and slightly below my graphics card so I cant not use them.
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

I hear you. Thing is I kinda repossesed them from a busted plasma screen, and they where just staring at me from my shelf asif to say use me, me. And naturally I could not ignore this plea :). Perhaps I should build in a switch (of which I have more than enough at last count).

These fans are going to be located more or less in line with the CPU HSF and perhaps during oc'ing I could increase airflow across it with these things.(On 24V).

Oh, as a side note, I have officially placed an order for the mobo and all the associated RAM, CPU, GPU and Screen ...just waiting for the goose to lay the golden egg.

Wanna know who the supplier is?

Cheers,
LJ
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
UrBaN
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Post by UrBaN »

Wow lithe, this mod's looking great man! Long tim ein the making but the effort sure seems to be worth it! :D

Think I better start my first mod soon.. hmmm 8)
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Post by PureFire »

Lithe Joint...

how are you planning on changing the silver to black?
are you gonna paint it?

@Modding geniuses...

might be a stupid question, but would it be possible to maybe put a vinyl sticker over it, and maybe just leave the dial and mode button in (original) silver?
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

PureFire wrote:Lithe Joint...

how are you planning on changing the silver to black?
are you gonna paint it?

@Modding geniuses...

might be a stupid question, but would it be possible to maybe put a vinyl sticker over it, and maybe just leave the dial and mode button in (original) silver?
Colour it in with a permanent marker... Change what to black?
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Post by PureFire »

oops... sorry... the zalman zm-mf2...
has silver on it, taking away from the beauty of the unit, coz it does look friggen sexy!
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Whaaat????
I cannot belive I am reading this...GET OUT OF MY HEAD! :twisted:

Here is how...
First you have to remove the plexi panel and rotary knob:
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I tried getting the entire front assembly off, but the designers made this a difficult task...so I just covered it up with masking tape.
I also covered the rotary pin and associated through hole to prevent paint from messing up the internals.

The second (quick) task was to remove the existing wording with some sand paper. I do not fancy the idea of lettering messing up the paintwork:
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I also roughened the knob itself. I used fine paper, 'cause the layer of paint existing is very thinly applied...and the primer which needs to be applied needs some foothold.

I covered absolutely every hole and crevice on this thing before I applied the primer. No need to cover the entire thing, because it wont be seen at the end of the day. This shot is with the first layer of primer. Two layers is all I'm doing, but you have to make sure that the primer is dry before applying the next layer:
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The knob got the same treatment.

I have some pics which detail the way I am stabilising the ODD behind the ODD panel. The brackets will be screwed down tight to the bottom of the case. Check out the experimental paint job :)
Again pics are self explanatory.
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I will never again not prime a workpiece before painting it. The result is just so much better.

Waiting for the primer to dry fully now, on the MFC. And then it will be off to the HW store to pick up some paint tomorrow.

Cheers,
Peter.
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

Nice man. Like your paint work on the optical drive. Looks good
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Thank you, Sir! :)

Well, now that the paintwork on the MFC2 is complete, I am ready to show and tell.
I will keep it short and sweet though, 'cause it is late...
The knob got a treatment of no less than 3 layers of copper paint, with sanding in between after I let each layer dry properly. After that, the same treatment but with clear coat.
Here is the last coat drying:
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Repeat prosess with glossy black for the panel. I had to apply realy thin coats so the paint could be allowed to dry properly.
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And then the end product:
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The glossy black is a perfect match and actually makes this thing look even better, I think.

Thats it for now.

Cheers,
Peter.
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

I checked up on the fan controller last night and found the mode button to be completely stuck. It is asif the black paint acted like toffy and kinda flowed in. Man, I tried everything to unstick it, except remove the paint and start over again...not so sure of this will help either :evil: so I am formulating an idea which will be actioned on friday night.

Here is a clue: Think remote switch :twisted:

Only thing is, now I HAVE to disassemble the entire unit :roll:


Oh well, 'till the weekend then.

Cheers,
Peter

PS: The goose has lain the egg and Graeme is keeping me posted on when all the stuff will be ready for collection. "Good things come to those who wait", I believe is the saying, although I am not very patient at the best of times :wink:
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

Have you tried a scalpel? Try cutting the paint (like separating the button from the chassis) Maybe you can get it right that way.

But it looks freaking awesome man. Really very nice
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Thank you for the interest and support Samaya :D .

I tried the scalple thing (*OT*believe it or not that was my nick in highschool*OT*) but to no avail. Here is the reason after disecting... :twisted:
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The button is ressesed(dict) and the paint actually flowed into this, so no amount of surgery would have cured the...ummm...whatever. I can't think of an appropriate word.
Out of pure frustration, I removed the nice paint and the protruding button...
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Then filled it up with some epoxy glue, which will need to be leveled at some point :roll:
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The notion of a remote mode button became a reality after all. This is how I went about it:
I had to remove the front panel...this is why I could not remove the damn thing in the first place...retaining screws :evil:
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Further deconstruction...
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Then determining which points would be suitable for soldering...
pic one is with the multimeter connected and no contact on the switch
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pic 2 is contact while pushing the switch in...
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And after getting the shyte was figured out...the remote switch wire soldered into position
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I am predicting a very busy Saturday Night...I just ain't up to it at this stage, what with work and all taking its toll :lol:

Thanks again for the interest, even if you are just standing on the sideline , watching 8)

Cheers.
Last edited by Lithe_Joint on 02 May 2008, 08:25, edited 1 time in total.
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Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Right. The epoxy glue was sanded down, and the 1st layer of enamel paint has been applied.
Here is a shot of the epoxy being sanded...
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The ODD panel received its alotment of LEDs. I screwed up by forgetting the flippin resistor, and with first power up their life was over in a flash. So I had to repeat the installation again.
Anyway, after this, a very welcome amber glow lit up my workshop...
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Image.
The black interior had to go as a direct result of my infatuation with copper.
This pic is now the start of re-assembly.
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Most of the parts have now been made, except for the side panel, so from now on in it will just be a matter of wiring up remote buttons and securing panels into place.

See ya
Last edited by Lithe_Joint on 02 May 2008, 08:23, edited 1 time in total.
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Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

I missed this update!!!

Dude that is looking seriously cool. I truly like what you are doing. It is looking magnificent!!!
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

I made an LED rail consisting of 3 in serie with 1 resistor. This time around, Led holders seemed to be the more logical route to go.
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Some jiggery pokery with soldering and insulation which won't be visible at the end of the day:
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The next shot is a test of the LED rail. and ODD panel The light is enhanced by another bar which I placed at the bottom edge. Basically this light will be a kind of backlight to the title bar which is soon to make its appearance :twisted:
Image.

Further to this, here is the rest of the kit which will make VPO's heart quicken just that little extra:
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Yip. quad core cpu, 8800GT GFX, DDR3 1333 2x1Gb Super Talent Ram, and of course the P5E3 IX38 delux Mobo. Just waiting for the OS.
Some may argue that there is better equipment out there, and I would agree. But the Mobo allows me to do cost effective upgrades when the time comes.

I am admiring the new hardware at the moment, so I'd probably only post an update next week.

Cheers,
Last edited by Lithe_Joint on 02 May 2008, 08:10, edited 1 time in total.
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Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

Nice update. Just keep an eye on that resistor of yours, It looks like a 120Ohm 0,25W? Watch for discolouration of the resistors body, if it happens you will need to get a half watt resistor.
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Samaya wrote:Nice update. Just keep an eye on that resistor of yours, It looks like a 120Ohm 0,25W? Watch for discolouration of the resistors body, if it happens you will need to get a half watt resistor.
Thanks. I must say the resistor does get hot, but no discoloration yet. Will it help if I just stuck in another one in series with this one?

I considered this long and hard before doing it: The installation of a blower fan...the thinking behind it is that the grafix card gets mounted with the HSF facing down, and this takes it out of the line of airflow which would be present. We'll see how well it works. If no gain is achieved I'll rip it out :twisted:
A pic:
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Then a bit of bling for the front fan panel:
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With the blower installed I reckoned that I would need more air coming in from the front of the case. So the section that was closed up with amber and only had the pipes to allow air in was modified with mesh:
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I have been keeping myself busy with further wiring business, connecting remote switches and so on. It is a rather tedious affair, and one of the aspects of modding which I do not like at all. Anyway, here is a parting shot of wires which will be hidden by the front panel:
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Cheers.
the pen is mighter than the sword, but the word is always final
Samaya
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Post by Samaya »

Its looking good. I am happy at least one person here has done some modding in the last couple of weeks :D :D :D
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Post by DAE_JA_VOO »

Samaya wrote:Its looking good. I am happy at least one person here has done some modding in the last couple of weeks :D :D :D
Yeah :(
Or at least made an update. I have modded, but not updated :P

Looking good man! :D
That guy that used to mod cases. Now I take photos. True story.
Lithe_Joint
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Post by Lithe_Joint »

Thanks guys!

So, what do ya think? Should I just add another resistor in serie?
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