Project: Mod in a Week // "Fallout Cause SP"

[Luciel]

Project: Mod in a Week // "Fallout Cause SP" (True Final Picks)

Hi Everyone,

This is the third and final mod of the season for me. I am currently waiting for my philips ambx to arrive for my "AIO AL" (a.k.a. "Nameless" mod also posted on here) and to get my hands dirty on finishing the remake of the horns and other details on "Diabolo" (also posted on here). All three will be on show at the MLP event in Murcia, Spain from the 6th to the 11th of December.

Fallout Cause SP (Slim & Passive) is the succesor to my fav mod of my own creation "Fallout Cause", it was just a paintjob yet it was before I got in to making worklogs and I´ve learnt so much since then that I want to do something new in the same style as FC was.

About the conditions, maybe some of you remember my previous "Mod in a Week" project (a.k.a. Acid Burn), the conditions are the same, Start to Finish happens within a week, starting to day, Saturday 26-11-11 so it will be finished by Saturday the 3rd of December as the latest.

All products needed have to be bought/ordered and received within this period. This of course puts limitations on what I can use but that´s also part of the fun in this kind of project.

I chose to start today as the products from the sponsor for this project arrived.

Informatica Outlets is simply the must go to website in Spain for great deals on hardware and all needed components to build a PC. So thank you very much Informaticaoutlets.com for your sponsorship on this project!

The products sponsored for this project are:

B-Move Slim II M-ATX low profile case

Intel Celeron Dual Core E3400

ASUS EN210 GeForce

Gigabyte G41MT-S2PT Motherboard

Other products sponsored include a memory card reader for the case, a 250gb seagate barracuda sata2 hard drive and an LG CD/DVD rewriter.

As the name of the project suggests, I am aiming for making the whole computer passive, i.e. no fans, which is why I´ve gone for the ASUS 210 low profile silent GPU, and the celeron intel cpu, as it´s a low end basic cpu, it should be the easiest socket 775 cpu to cool without fans, just a heatsink and decent thermal paste. Other products I´ve acquired today for this project are:

Thermaltake Mini-Typhoon CPU Cooler

2x2Gb Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz (I know this mobo supports up to 1333 but its fine, it will help keep the ram cool to underclock it plus I got a simply great deal on them).

Let´s start then.

1st Day - Saturday 26-11-2011

So I´ve done a quick bench-test to make sure all the hardware is working fine and in deed, no problems whatsoever.

Because the B-Move Slim II is a low profile m-atx case I pressume meant for an HTPC, most aftermarket heatsinks will not fit, but I can´t use the stock intel heatsink because it´s cooling power is virtually non-existant without a fan. So I´ve gone for the thermaltake mini-typhoon as I got a great deal on it and it has a decent copper surface that should keep the cpu cool enough without a fan. So I mounted it with Noctua NX-1 thermalpaste, and went on to do some temp testing without a mounted fan. On idle I get 54c, on stress testing, it doesn´t go over 76c now, this are high temps for such a cpu, but remember it´s being passive cooled and the temps are within safe boundaries so I can check that off the list.

Again because the case is low profile, the cooler will not fit even without a fan, I knew this, hell, I wanted this to happen so I could cut a hole on the side of the case to expose the copper which will add to the final look, if any of you have seen my original Fallout Cause, you´ll know exactly what I mean : )

So, 1st, let´s cut the hole:

Now to test it on the case:

Very nice fit! next issue, the cpu cooler´s mounting possition means that the ram doesn´t fit because of it´s cooler, thing is, I like the cooler and rather not have to shave the trimmings off, so, did some measurements, and it would seem cutting off one of the cpu cooler´s pipes is the way to go, so that´s what I did:

Now for mounting tests:

Now as you can see it fits fine but its in contact with the ram stick by very little, my question is, would this affect anything in any way? would it transfer heat to the ram heatsink or the other way round? Should I trim the ram heatsink?

That´s it for today, tomorrow I prep further modification to the case, I am planning on openings and signs of aging and damage caused by rust and the extreme conditions of a fallout post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Thanks for reading! : )

 

[catnipkiller]

Trim or take off the ram coolers? Not hack up the cpu cooler.

 

[Luciel]

EDIT: Just though I´d add based on a response on another forum, that I was very carefull when cutting the heatpipe in case I needed to weld it back on due to there being liquid inside that evaporates when heating, but there is nothing inside, with a bit of research I found that, not all coolers have this inside, is this normal? I know this is a low end cooler but, normal? thanks!

Meant to add that to the main post but forgot.

I still havent decided on which way to go, but I quite like it as it is and the difference in cooling according to tests I ran afterwards is a mere 2-3c on stress testing

I should also add that, even with the heatsinks completely off the ram, they did not fit with the cpu cooler, my guess, the ram slots are closer to the cpu socket than most mobos

 

[kikicoco1334]

Do you have a over picture?

Very cool mod btw, i was gonna do that to my micro server but really don't have to need for it, it doesn't overclock, just a file server lol

 

[de.das.dude]

sub'd

 

[de.das.dude]

EDIT: Just though I´d add based on a response on another forum, that I was very carefull when cutting the heatpipe in case I needed to weld it back on due to there being liquid inside that evaporates when heating, but there is nothing inside, with a bit of research I found that, not all coolers have this inside, is this normal? I know this is a low end cooler but, normal? thanks!

Meant to add that to the main post but forgot.

I still havent decided on which way to go, but I quite like it as it is and the difference in cooling according to tests I ran afterwards is a mere 2-3c on stress testing

I should also add that, even with the heatsinks completely off the ram, they did not fit with the cpu cooler, my guess, the ram slots are closer to the cpu socket than most mobos

all coolers have it inside. its just that the liquid is extremely volatile. and it boils at less than room temperatures.

 

[Bo$$]

Leave that heatpipe!!!!
if it aint broke dont fix it.

If the pc boots like that leave it.
File down the ram if you 100% have to

 

[Luciel]

all coolers have it inside. its just that the liquid is extremely volatile. and it boils at less than room temperatures.

I´m getting some mixed info on several forums, it´s weird really, all I know for certain is that temps have only degraded 3c so not sure what to expect from it. If it comes to it, I have another exactly the same cooler as I bought them in a 2x1 deal, quite cheaply (which is why I took the risk really)

Leave that heatpipe!!!!
if it aint broke dont fix it.

If the pc boots like that leave it.
File down the ram if you 100% have to

The previous answer should answer your comment to, about the ram, yeah going to get rid of that last lip, shouldnt affect the pc aesthetically at all and it gives me piece of mind so..

thanks for the comments guys! : )

 

[Luciel]

2nd Day - Sunday 27-11-11

Today is destruction day, I will make all the destroyed sections of the case to give it that fallout rusted out/cannon´d out look. When I get to the painting part I will aid this look by giving a rust look to all the edges and adding epoxy to simulate edges fusing togueter due to rust (i.e. the grills).

First thing however, is to trim that last lip of the memory module heatsink that´s driving me mad due to it being in contact with the cpu cooler, so here we go:

Much better, it´s barely noticeable and it is no longer in contact with the cpu heatsink.

Now it´s dremel time, I have to say I´m surprised at how thick and strong the metal is on this case, specially having in mind it´s a low end case so it´s mostly made out of scrap metal as they tend to do, I went through 2 heavy duty dremel discs in order to complete all the cutting. Once done I plied them backwards for two reasons, first, be it bullets, blunt tools or other, the impact would always be towards the case so it makes sense it´s pushed inwards, the second reason being to prevent sharp edges on the outside.

Here we go:

And that about does it, I though of adding more as certain parts of the case looked to "clean" if you know what I mean, but I can always add imperfections and artificial damages when doing the paintjob and it´s effects. I think my fav one is the chunk missing from the side that lets you look right in to the cpu heatsink.

Tomorrow I will add similar effects on a small scale to the front of the case obviously very carefully, don´t want to brake any of the hooks that attach it to the rest of the case.

But for today that´s it. Thank you for reading!

 

[de.das.dude]

make sure the heatpipe isnt touching the ram. else your RAM will get heated up LOL. and im sure heatpipes have fluid. its how heatpipes work.

 

[Luciel]

Looks like you posted right afte the update, where you can see it is no longer in contact with the heatsink ; )

 

[de.das.dude]

how do you get sharp edges with a dremel?

and i find it easier to cut using the non-reinforced disks.

 

[Luciel]

I assume you mean how do I get rid of sharp edges with the dremel? there´s a circular tube to blunt sharp edges.

Really? What disk number do you use? Would like to give it a try, I was using 420 but just took forever so went for the reinforced ones.

 

[de.das.dude]

i got no idea. i'll post a pic later. the guy at the bosch dealer game me these. pretty expensive. but they work like a charm. they dont corrode that fast either.


i meant how you get sharp edges with a dremel. the reinforced ones leave a pretty blunt edge.

also take your time with the dremel. they work best under its own weight. and dont cut it like you are cutting wood. move along the line you want to cut. slowly removing some more of the metal each run. this saves time and also the previous blade.

 

[Luciel]

Mostly the sharp edges are the grills since the metal surface is quite small, no matter how blunt the cut is it will still leave pointy/sharp edges, on the big cuts, no problem whatsoever : )

Yeah I´d love a pick so I can go to my local suplies shop and try them out cheers : )

And yes that´s what I do, but the metal sheet on this case is weirdly thick, you´ll see in my next update very soon that I had to fit some mountings, it took me forever to drill through that metal sheet, even with a proper drill (as opposed to the dremel).

In any case, thanks : )

 

[de.das.dude]

looks like 0.6mm SECC. my case is a bitch to drill too. max 20 holes out of the cutter before they poop.

 

[brandonwh64]

It looks like you just took the case out back and shot it with a 4-10 shot gun a couple of times

 

[de.das.dude]

Lol ^

 

[Luciel]

3rd Day - Monday 28-11-11 - Update 1

Last night while I was in bed I started thinking about the things I should do today and if I should paint the philips ambx that arrived yesterday evening for the AIO AL project or leave that till I finished this one this saturday. While having the AIO AL project in my mind I though, hmm I wander if I could add a screen to this project, I know I cant integrate it on the side because there´s no extra sheet of metal, pretty much the side is what the mobo is attached too. I know I can´t use fiberglass to attach it to it because while it would look decent, it wouldn´t have air breathing, and it would just overheat, not to mention adding heat to the sheet and therefore to the mobo and cpu, so that was a no go, figured I´d scrap that idea and I went to sleep. This morning however while I was looking at the screen and the case it bothered me because I really liked the concept of adding a screen but couldn´t find a way to do it, but I had some spare time so I figured I´d take the screen apart and see if an idea popped in to my head, as I removed the bezel and platform I clicked, mounts! it´s so obvious, why on earth didn´t I think of that before!

So I took some measurements, did some screen hw mounting within the tower checked cable lenghts, everything checks out. So started to process.

First thing, a straight cut wide enough to pass cables through and use them as a grip for the mounting:

Now it was time to make the hole big enough for the bolt to go through, so figured I´d use the dremel to make a small starting hole, took forever to go through that, I hadn´t realised just how thick that sheet of metal was. Once done I took a drill, with the right drillbit on started, took me about 40 minutes to do both holes, mainly because I didn´t want to press to hard so not to go spoil the drillbit, eventually got there and installed the first mount:

added some washers and tightened it up:

Now the second one and a test mount:

Feels quite solid, I think I will add some feet on the opposite side so no stress is on the screwed in side, so I will look for some later on.

Now for a proper test mount of the screen´s psu and chipset:

And it fits perfectly:

That´s it for now, I will post a second update later today.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Luciel]

It looks like you just took the case out back and shot it with a 4-10 shot gun a couple of times

that would´ve definately been easier, no shotgun here though

 

[kikicoco1334]

Nice!
I was gonna mount a touch screen on my but can't seem to get the cables to work

 

[de.das.dude]

Nice!
I was gonna mount a touch screen on my but can't seem to get the cables to work

there is probably two typos here.

I was gonna mount a touch screen on my butt, can't seem to get the cables to work

or

I was gonna mount a touch screen on my, but can't seem to get the cables to work

 

[Luciel]

hahahaha classic

Have to say that this aint a touch screen though : )

 

[de.das.dude]

its like a laptop :O

 

[Luciel]

3rd Day - Monday 28-11-11 - Update 2

Gave everything a final sand down, cleaned it up and gave it a coat of primer:

For some reason the image of the primed front part of the case was corrupted but eh, nothing important.

After waiting drying time I applied 2 coats of glossy black, now I have matt black but I used glossy in order to be able to sand it down so fragments will remain a bit shiny which will add further to that used and thrown about look.

For the devices mounting point since some will be seen through grills or holes I decided to try something new, I watered the paint down more than usual (added an extra part of water) in order to prevent it from being a solid color and included an acrilic brown compound normally used for plastic and metal surfaces that imitate wood (I guess you could call it an artificial wood barnish), I ended up quite liking it!

That´s it for today, tomorrow I will be going down to my local paint supplies shop to acquire the colors that I´ll be using and the rust effect compound.

Thanks for reading!