Distribution plates/reservoirs

LuckyBenski · 18 Jan 2019 at 16:28

String said:
Basic dimensions here; fill port as far across as possible.

As far as the outlets etc.. are concerned, I think I would have to hold it in position and mark them up - measuring them would leave room for error.

So I reckon i could make that from three pieces, with 10mm clear in the middle to allow some liquid visibility.

I'm not too sure about putting a fill port on the top as it would mean drilling and tapping through a join in sheets. Don't know whether this would be at risk of splitting, either while drill/tapping or when tightening fittings. I guess you could place a 90° fitting in while you fill...

Other than that, I reckon this is ok to cut this weekend. If you want to use the 80mm fan mount holes I'd have to get a smaller tap, M3 or M4, think I have one at my mum's. And yet to order a relevant glue.

If you could somehow extract the measurements for the external ports etc that'd be awesome

LuckyBenski · 18 Jan 2019 at 16:30

Forgot to add a pic; the blue shows the cavities in the clear, red rings are internal ports and black are external. Hope it's not too unclear. 5mm black sandwiched on 10mm clear, i was thinking:

LuckyBenski · 19 Jan 2019 at 12:46

Smffy said:
Initial roughs of a custom NVLink cover (took the Nvidia one apart) if you want a small test of lasering out anything. I’m not sure you can laser the depth in to it though... ignore the logo on the top was gonna do some RTX On meme

Can't do depth unless it's just lines, maybe could rig something up using layers. I'm guessing you want it clear? Can't wait for CNC milling to be a thing!

String said:
Have marked a template up, any initial thoughts/issues? I could only mark 2 of the fixing holes due to access, but can sit a 80mm fan over for a template.

This looks perfect, if you can give me some critical dimensions I should be able to get a decently accurate layout. If you trace the other fan holes, I imagine you can get horizontal and vertical relative measurements to the ports?

LuckyBenski · 19 Jan 2019 at 12:57

String said:
I could post the template to you?

Yeah that's ideal actually, was probably in too much of a hurry to make something this weekend. There's other experiments I can do

Will trust you my address.

LuckyBenski · 19 Jan 2019 at 13:26

Smffy said:
You are useless aren’t you... I will probably get it machined in either black or possibly solid aluminium. 12mm thick so not impossible...

If you want black that's easier as can laminate two layers, one with the cavity cut through. 3D bevels won't work though. Why can't you just design everything in 2D!

LuckyBenski · 23 Jan 2019 at 10:34

String said:
On it's way.

Ace, got the template!

Couple of questions - is there a good way to position the internal ports right? You've drawn some arrows so I presume that's the direction the internal ports are, relative to the external holes?

I think I'll have to make the rear panel from thicker acrylic to allow me to drill and tap holes for mounting in the 80mm fan spacing. So I guess 5mm saying black on the inside of the case, then 10mm clear in the middle, then 6+mm facing the back of the case?

I've bought M3 and M4 taps so if we're lucky I can make it this weekend

LuckyBenski · 23 Jan 2019 at 13:09

String said:
Perfect.

Oh my bad with the arrows, please ignore them. Also, I think the 2 little holes for fixing should be enough which is why I didn't add the other 2.

The internal ports:

The one for the GPU - place it anywhere you like as I will need to take a tube from the GPU outlet and link to it anyway, so best making it easier for you.

The port for the reservoir - I think I wrote a little note with the height on it? Again, I'm having to tube to this so you're not too restricted, if you make it the height approximately and try to keep it closer to the front of the case as that'll help me with the 90 bend I need to do.

Does that make sense? Post back if you're in any doubt about anything.

Cheers

No problem, can bias the pump feed towards the front. How do I define the height? You've written "Pump inlet to reservoir approx 50mm to centre". Does that mean the centre of the fan mounting holes maybe?

Other than that i think I'm pretty clear

Unless the note was loose in the envelope - thankfully haven't recycled it yet!

LuckyBenski · 23 Jan 2019 at 14:52

How's this for placement? Nearer the front, 50mm off the bottom of the unit. I separated the two ports to give air a chance to escape into the res, and hopefully create some in/outflow in the reservoir.

LuckyBenski · 26 Jan 2019 at 18:42

Right, looks like the taps all work great! It's surprisingly easy, I assumed it was trickier when being shown how at college etc. New tools FTW!

@String I've drawn up the plans, just need glue and 5mm black perspex to arrive. Do you have a preference for M3 or M4 threads? I probably have some suitable black Allen bolts lying around if you don't...

Haven't made any allowances for LEDs yet but can drill a hole or two if you like

LuckyBenski · 28 Jan 2019 at 14:19

Finally got to do some cutting last night. There's a bit of a laser focusing issue causing reflection at high power, but generally pretty happy! I tested tapping G1/4 threads in 3mm acrylic and it seems pretty sturdy - I can't see any unused thread sticking out the back side of the sheet. With my spare EK fittings anyway. So this means I can make the first reservoir out of 6-10-3mm acrylic sheets and glue them. Almost there! You can see a little of the focus distortion along the right side of vertical cuts but it's just a little surface marring. I think I will glue over this rather than sand the entire sheet flat - I plan on finding a glue that can handle small gaps.

I've also been wrestling with different glues to try as everything seems to have a drawback or two. The best glue is UV-cure, the easiest glue causes cracking, etc... I tried a new glue from my girlfriend's workshop which she uses to glue acrylic and metal together. E6000 - pretty popular but I thought it'd be too messy, not clear, and maybe too weak. My test piece is pretty good though! Good spread and just a little gap visible in the corners. I can't separate it using hand-strength and fingernails so far. I think I'll use this on the Mk.1 reservoir and see how it goes.

Next up, drilling and tapping followed by glue! I've noticed it's tricky to get the G1/4 tap started perfectly square which creates a leak risk against the fitting/o-ring there. I'll probably use a drill press to get everything lined up nicely.

LuckyBenski · 10 Mar 2019 at 22:21

Time for an update as it's been far too long! I had a pretty low period with my mental health, just very unmotivated and down. Then I spent ages researching glues as I wasn't happy with ones I've tried so far! I reckon I've got two options that are in the running now:

- Epoxy (I use ZAP Z-poxy 30 minute stuff as I know it well from guitar repair) - this looks OK and is really nice to work with. Slow drying, so can take my time to remove air bubbles etc.

- Tensol 70/Anglosol 700/RS AB-2 - spectacularly clear, quite easy to work with and really grabs the acrylic as it's solvent-based. Will post up some glued samples later. A little fiddly to get smooth and bubble free.

My worries are that the epoxy might not be suitable for permanent submersion - I've emailed the manufacturer to confirm if this is the case. People use it for waterproofing model boats so I'm hopeful. And the Tensol 70 has created a lot of stress cracking along the edge of my acrylic pieces. I'm pretty sure these are cast acrylic not extruded so I'm a little bit miffed. Doesn't affect thicker pieces as badly so we'll see how it goes.

I'll probably use the Tensol 70 type stuff for now as I'm confident if I really wet both pieces with glue, it's basically welded together.

LuckyBenski · 18 Mar 2019 at 18:19

Cheers

So I've been experimenting lots with the Tensol/Anglosol type glue. It's pretty good to work with so I'll aim to glue the reservoir together later tonight. It stays wet long enough to spread out and get a good solid film on both pieces, this seems to create the best finish. The big blob method gives AMAZING optical transparency but you sometimes don't quite reach the edges. That, or you end up with massive squeeze-out which will be unsightly. I'm less worried about stress cracking in thicker sheets as it seems to affect the thinner stuff most.

I stress-tested a join on one of the 10mm cylinders and regretted it. The piece pinged off and took a decent chunk out of my thumb! Stress test passed

A few air bubbles after spreading glue out onto both pieces:

Foreground test was pre-spread onto one piece, the rear I think was spread onto both more thickly and is almost perfect:

Perfick!

Hopefully will have an update soon!

LuckyBenski · 19 Mar 2019 at 14:04

Unfortunately while gluing up last night I had a pretty patchy contact area as it was already drying before I assembled. I let paranoia get the better of me and ran a bead of glue along all the joins between pieces. Looks like **** but I didn't want to risk a slow leak creeping through the plates.

Smffy said:
Can you heat the glue once applied slightly with a hair dryer? Some glues you will see the bubbles just vanish as it the liquid flattens, if you could manage this after it’s been spread then join it might get a better finish.

That or it explodes.

Indeed, the fumes are pretty potent with this glue! I've taken to leaving it in the basement to dry because it was making my entire kitchen smell.

I haven't tried a hair dryer although once it's on the acrylic, the glue starts to melt in pretty fast and then set. It's almost like placing it on the acrylic catalyses it.

I think an area this big is too difficult to spread properly, so I'll change my tack next time. I think I'll get a syringe and apply a large continuous bead of glue to both pieces. It won't look as good, but it will guarantee a proper seal.

All this is just learning experience anyway, I think it's fairly obvious that CNC machining would produce better-looking, more watertight results!

LuckyBenski · 20 Mar 2019 at 08:32

Distracted said:
Lucky... i think you should try this. For science.

I was very tempted to see about this with leftover glue but realised it's basically liquid acrylic and that would be unwise... Ever seen celluloid ignite? You can't put it out until it's burned through all the plastic!

LuckyBenski · 20 Mar 2019 at 08:37

This just makes me more determined to find other methods really

Just wait until it's finished and filled I guess. Things can look a right mess if you inspect them half-finished!