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Haven't visited your log in a while. I'm so glad you went with the Hardware Labs SR2 radiators. I hope you like them too?
Project Smurf 3.0
- Thread starter Smffy
- Start date
Well, what a boring afternoon that was 
So while I was doing the cable job from hell I painted some EK fittings to see how they would come out, they look nice - matches the mobo paint with the sort of reflective grey/black. Also did a quick mod on the faceplate for the Bay Res, got rid of the giant model number and finished in the same paint:
Probably going to take the bezel off the aquaero and give it the same treatment:
Anyway, on the the rats nest... Its less ratty now, I hope you'll agree
. Decided to sleeve the fan cables in pairs to make life a lot less cluttered, I know it seems like time wasted because you can't see them but it was worth doing. Sleeved the front panel connectors also:
And with the cables hidden away again:
I've got the three more to do on when I add the final 360 radiator from this current temp setup and then for the LEDs my plan is as follows, tell me if its dumb i'm so bored now after that
Should be able to control the fan modes using the front of the case then... Right?
Like em so far, the screws are stupid short to mount fans though... Swapped out and i've got a load of copper Orange versions of the blue washers coming for maximum OCD effect.
I need beer.
So while I was doing the cable job from hell I painted some EK fittings to see how they would come out, they look nice - matches the mobo paint with the sort of reflective grey/black. Also did a quick mod on the faceplate for the Bay Res, got rid of the giant model number and finished in the same paint:
Probably going to take the bezel off the aquaero and give it the same treatment:
Anyway, on the the rats nest... Its less ratty now, I hope you'll agree
. Decided to sleeve the fan cables in pairs to make life a lot less cluttered, I know it seems like time wasted because you can't see them but it was worth doing. Sleeved the front panel connectors also:
And with the cables hidden away again:
I've got the three more to do on when I add the final 360 radiator from this current temp setup and then for the LEDs my plan is as follows, tell me if its dumb i'm so bored now after that
- Finish connecting the final LED leads
- Do something clever to connect all the SATA power leads, possibly get a hub and hid it all away
- Take the remote boxes and mount hidden, run the ludicrously short external control switches to 3 vandal switches mounted in the front using one of the spare 5.25" bays
Should be able to control the fan modes using the front of the case then... Right?
Like em so far, the screws are stupid short to mount fans though... Swapped out and i've got a load of copper Orange versions of the blue washers coming for maximum OCD effect.
I need beer.
Last edited:
Soldato
Just so you're expecting it, the Aquaero bezel is glued to the screen. You take the screws off (2mm hex key) and expect it to come off...but some clown glued it on. Take the touch-screen off the display (after the screws its just held on by the 8-pin connector at one end that pulls apart). You can separate the bezel by running a knife between the bezel and the screen board. There's very little PCB tracks on the top surface but there is one that runs from the 8-pin connector by thr round end of the screen to the bottom right screw hole so don't gouge it there. The glue is sticky (but cleans of tools with IPA) and the bezel goes back on fine. When you're separating the two, don't pull the bezel away, lever it by twisting the knife or you might warp the bezel. Also be careful you don't go too Depp with the knife as the part of the 'glass' that sticks through the bezel is a separate layer and you can start to separate that - which shows like air bubbles round the edge and looks naff.
Incidentally the bezel is deemend a user swappable item as they do sell a black bezel for about £8. OCUK stock them if you need one (either before or after this!). Good luck - you'll be fine!
Incidentally the bezel is deemend a user swappable item as they do sell a black bezel for about £8. OCUK stock them if you need one (either before or after this!). Good luck - you'll be fine!
Soldato
Yeah, awkward isn't it.
IPA does soften the glue and dissolve it. I used it to clean the blade of the penknife I used. It's a tacky sort of glue, sort of rubbery. On the plus side, it will stick back together (as long as you don't paint over it) and it holds the thin edge parts of the bezel flat - hance why you don't want to bend the bezel or it'll banana away from the screen.
Not sure if you'd get the IPA into the gap and also there could be a risk of it taking out the bond of the embossed part on the top. It seems that rather than one piece of 'glass' (acrylic?) the screen is a flat sheet with the centre piece (the hole in the bezel) being a separate piece glued on the front. At least it seems like that as you'll create a blemish between the two if you go too deep with the knife and poke it between the layers.
IPA does soften the glue and dissolve it. I used it to clean the blade of the penknife I used. It's a tacky sort of glue, sort of rubbery. On the plus side, it will stick back together (as long as you don't paint over it) and it holds the thin edge parts of the bezel flat - hance why you don't want to bend the bezel or it'll banana away from the screen.
Not sure if you'd get the IPA into the gap and also there could be a risk of it taking out the bond of the embossed part on the top. It seems that rather than one piece of 'glass' (acrylic?) the screen is a flat sheet with the centre piece (the hole in the bezel) being a separate piece glued on the front. At least it seems like that as you'll create a blemish between the two if you go too deep with the knife and poke it between the layers.
Well then I look forward to that annoying job... Just occurred to me I don't really want the blue fluid anymore. Thinking maybe white or silver, I've got some of that Mayhems silver booster which will make it look a bit special on the front res but i'm torn between a copper orange or white.
Soldato
Copper could look quite cool. Far less common than white too. White would blend with your rads...which is either good or bad depending.
The silver booster is Aurora though so only short-term show use no? I think it takes chunks out your pump impeller if you use it long term...that and settles out.
The silver booster is Aurora though so only short-term show use no? I think it takes chunks out your pump impeller if you use it long term...that and settles out.
Soldato
Face plate looks boss, I approve !
Really lol? It actually kills things? Well... Probably not that then. Might go for the blood red and get the yellow dye so I can add until nice and coppery.
Face plate looks boss, I approve !
Cheers bud, I think I also approve so it might be staying on... Got a load more fittings to paint when this rig is stripped down maybe tomorrow. thorough flushing of all the parts to get the blue fluid out then its time to learn how to bend copper pipe/give up and get the PETG out
Ok couldn't resist polishing up a bit of the pipe just to see how it looks. Absolute shiny metal porn:
The finish from just a few seconds of ultra fine wire wool is good, 10 seconds with metal polish and it seriously shines... Seems like it will look good with my Orange washers when they arrive next week.
The finish from just a few seconds of ultra fine wire wool is good, 10 seconds with metal polish and it seriously shines... Seems like it will look good with my Orange washers when they arrive next week.
Soldato
As far as I'm aware yes but my info old be out of date as there seems now to be an "Aurora 2" designed for "longer term use" but with no details I can find and it's not listed (that I can find) on Mayhem's site. TheRe is a link to their Aurora guide: https://mayhems.co.uk/mayhems-aurora-guide
you might get an answer from Mayhems if you post in the Watercoolin forum with Mayhems in the title.
you might get an answer from Mayhems if you post in the Watercoolin forum with Mayhems in the title.
Well thank god you were paying attention, this crap is not going anywhere near my build then... £7 wasted, could return it but meh.
Soldato
It looks pretty - JR23 did a great looking reservoir with oil black coolant mixed with silver aurora. But is not friendly with filters, can clog, settle (if allowed) and damage impellers eventually.
Pipework looks shiny Sure one of the copper builds used some sort of clear lacquer to keep it shiny. Might be worth a search. If you put ridiculous amounts of elbow-grease in and go finer and finer, it's possible to get a mirror finish....but lots of work!
Pipework looks shiny
Sure one of the copper builds used some sort of clear lacquer to keep it shiny. Might be worth a search. If you put ridiculous amounts of elbow-grease in and go finer and finer, it's possible to get a mirror finish....but lots of work!It looks pretty - JR23 did a great looking reservoir with oil black coolant mixed with silver aurora. But is not friendly with filters, can clog, settle (if allowed) and damage impellers eventually.
Pipework looks shiny
Yep, planning to use some special wax to stop the tarnishing and obvs will spend more than a few seconds on the actual bits
If you can convince JR to make me a special res i'll love you forever
Soldato
You can blow the pipes over (haha) with clear coat. That will stop them oxidising
Well, the redneck build has now been ripped apart and everything rinsed to de-blue it... What an evening that was. Now edging ever closer to actually finishing this project and some significant progress has been made... I'm also tired lol. So stipped out all the old kit and drained the Hex-Gear 80,000 Was actually easy to drain because the res was literally screwed to MDF on the outside so just took the top off and poured it all in the bath.
Rinsed all the fittings, i'll spray the old ones as per the others i've already done - FYI the white finish is really quite crap on the EK fittings:
Replaced all the old G1/4 O-Rings, you can just about tell but some of the EK fittings had pretty slim O-Rings (Top two) where as some more normal (Bottom two) and I've replace all of them with some nice new Bitspower ones. UV Blue, coz I had some already and you cant see them so I don't care:
Final radiator rinsed thoroughly and added to the build, its going to be taken out again to link it to the 240mm at the front through the side multi-ports...
Bit more cable management/braiding to do on these last fans...
Pumps mounted on the removable rack, slight annoyance in the design as the Corsair supply seems to be ever so slightly too high so i've removed the rubber from the PSU stand (saved about 1.5mm) and cleaned that up so it literally just squeezes in but here it is placed for reference:
Resprayed the CPU block, re-paste on the CPU and fitting all the expensive stuff... Its starting to look like a computer again!
Finally... Picked it up and put it on a desk. Holy crap it weighs a ton so can't even imagine once its filled. Then I literally sat staring at the pure scale of what i've built so far, its truly massive but impressive at the same time.
And that is where i'm at now! Next step, copper piping and replacing the blue washers. I do need to brand a lot of cables but that will be done last as I can actually use it while I do that and replace. All the drives are hidden in the Icy Dock which is frankly a brilliant idea its so much neater, the front of the Aquaero is off ready to persuade apart and paint to match the new res plate (also matches the CPU block and board/fittings.
Should have some blood red fluid (Mayhems) and yellow dye arriving today, once leak tested (must remember to add drainage) i'll attempt to blend some sort of copper Orange colour fluid. The copper pipes will be polished with Microcrystalline Wax, basically what is used in museums to stop things tarnishing and supposed to give amazing results on metal/jewelry.
Was actually easy to drain because the res was literally screwed to MDF on the outside so just took the top off and poured it all in the bath.Rinsed all the fittings, i'll spray the old ones as per the others i've already done - FYI the white finish is really quite crap on the EK fittings:
Replaced all the old G1/4 O-Rings, you can just about tell but some of the EK fittings had pretty slim O-Rings (Top two) where as some more normal (Bottom two) and I've replace all of them with some nice new Bitspower ones. UV Blue, coz I had some already and you cant see them so I don't care:
Final radiator rinsed thoroughly and added to the build, its going to be taken out again to link it to the 240mm at the front through the side multi-ports...
Bit more cable management/braiding to do on these last fans...
Pumps mounted on the removable rack, slight annoyance in the design as the Corsair supply seems to be ever so slightly too high so i've removed the rubber from the PSU stand (saved about 1.5mm) and cleaned that up so it literally just squeezes in but here it is placed for reference:
Resprayed the CPU block, re-paste on the CPU and fitting all the expensive stuff... Its starting to look like a computer again!
Finally... Picked it up and put it on a desk. Holy crap it weighs a ton so can't even imagine once its filled. Then I literally sat staring at the pure scale of what i've built so far, its truly massive but impressive at the same time.
And that is where i'm at now! Next step, copper piping and replacing the blue washers. I do need to brand a lot of cables but that will be done last as I can actually use it while I do that and replace. All the drives are hidden in the Icy Dock which is frankly a brilliant idea its so much neater, the front of the Aquaero is off ready to persuade apart and paint to match the new res plate (also matches the CPU block and board/fittings.
Should have some blood red fluid (Mayhems) and yellow dye arriving today, once leak tested (must remember to add drainage) i'll attempt to blend some sort of copper Orange colour fluid. The copper pipes will be polished with Microcrystalline Wax, basically what is used in museums to stop things tarnishing and supposed to give amazing results on metal/jewelry.
Looks great, well done
Why thank you, although there still seems to always be more to do! Most nervous about the copper tube i'm about to get started on
Soldato
Noice
