Maximum PC

I was asked if I'd be interested in modding Thermaltake's new Level 10 GT chassis. Of course I had to say yes. A case like that may be hard to mod, but I've got some crazy plans for this thing. It involves liquid cooling and LOTS of electronics.

First off, a HUGE THANKS to the current sponsors!!


Thermaltake hooked me up with the Level 10 GT chassis, a Toughpower Grand 1050W PSU and some liquid cooling goodness.


Kingston hooked me up with a 96GB SSDNow V+100 96GB SSD and a 6GB DDR3-2000 HyperX H2O Kit.


Gigabyte sent me a G1.Guerrilla motherboard.


Microchip sent me one of their new chipKIT Max32 development boards.


Trossen Robotics hooked me up with their RFID reader kit.


[size=1]Auto Air Colors sent me a bottle of airbrush paint and a bottle of reducer.


NZXT hooked me up with a white LED light strip.


Protostack sent 2 of their ATMega8A development kits.


PCBoard.ca sent me one of their new individually addressable RGB LED strips.

Here's the teaser vids for What's done with the coding so far





The issue I'm having now is porting everything from the Arduino (which doesn't have enough i/o for everything I need) to the chipKIT. The issue with that is the Arduino runs an AVR and the chipKIT runs a PIC, so they handle the code differently. I've been working closely with the guys who designed the board to get this sorted, and right now they're redoing the servo code (was never done originally to work with the PIC) and trying to figure out the addressable RGB LED strip issues.

Got this coming from Performance-PC's:

• 2 x *** HOT *** Koolance Tubing Splitter/Manifold, 5-Way Swiveling [no nozzles] (SPL-XFR3)
• 4 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] (NZL-V10B)
• 6 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [6mm, 1/4"] (NZL-V06B)
• 2 x mod/smart 24-Pin Female ATX Power Connector- Black (M-MB-24M-BK)
• 2 x Connectx™ ATX 24 pin Female Pins, GOLD-plated - 24 Pack (ACR-CB8133)
• 5 x Connectx™ Female 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9031)
  Molex Pins Add 3 Molex Pins
• 5 x Connectx™ Male 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9079)
• 10 x Koolance Tubing, Silver PVC, 1ft/30.5cm [ID: 10mm (3/8"); OD: 13mm (1/2")] (HOS-10SL)
• 1 x IandH Silver KillCoils - Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Tubing / Reservoir Strip (IANDH-KILLCOIL)
• 1 x *** NEW *** EK-FC6870 for AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6870 Series - Nickel (EK-FC6870-NK)
  Optional SLI Fitting No fitting
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Black Ice® GTX Gen Two Xtreme 140 Highest Performance Radiator (GTX140)
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Koolance INS-FM16 Coolant Flow Meter (INS-FM16)
• 1 x Koolance Coolant Temperature Sensor, Brass [no nozzles] (SEN-AP005PB)
  Nozzles Add Nozzle Pair, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] NZL-V10KGB
• 1 x A.C. Ryan AcrylPanel™ 3mm - 480x480mm Clear (ACR-AP3404)
• 8 x Solid Wall Polyethylene Grommet Edging with Adhesive - Black (GES-BK05)

And this coming from Sparkfun:

• 3x PRT-00115 Female Breakaway Headers
• 3x PRT-00116 Male Breakaway Headers
• 5x PRT-08095 Polarized Connectors - Housing (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-08100 Polarized Connectors - Crimp Pins
• 5x PRT-08233 Polarized Connectors - Header (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-09497 ATX Power Supply Connector - Straight
• 2x PRT-09498 ATX Power Supply Connector - Right Angle
• 2x PRT-10698 Light Pipe - Clear Core (3mm, 5' Long)

First some pics of some of the goods:



ATMega8A dev kit from Protostack




96GB SSD from Kingston




6GB DDR3-2000 H2O RAM also from Kingston




Toughpower 1050W PSU from Thermaltake




PWB100 Waterblock also from Thermaltake




Firgelli L12 Linear actuator (50mm stroke, 100:1 gearing) from Trossen Robotics






Koolance 3-way splitters and flow meter






Koolance 3/8" and 1/4" G1/4 fittings




Here you can see a 3/8" fitting and 3 1/4" fittings in each splitter. What this will do is allow me to hook the main 3/8" tubing to the splitter, and have 1/4" lines run to each stick of RAM, then back out into the second splitter, and back into the loop.




Koolance Adapter block with temp sensor






EK waterblock for my XFX 6870




10' Koolance silver 3/8" PVC tubing




U-Channel edge molding






2 black 24-pin connectors and pins




5 3-pin connector sets




Silver Kill Coil

I also got a Black Ice 140mm Radiator, but I need to swap it for a 120mm one as it's too big to fit in the case in the rear 140mm fan spot. I may get creative and try to mount it elsewhere though, we'll see.

I'm still waiting on a 2x120mm radiator and a pump/res combo from Thermaltake as well.


I also got some work done on the case.



I test-fit the motherboard into the case to get an idea of the layout for some of the various components. This is when I found out that the bit 140mm rad I got won't fit.






I also got the lower intake cover, louvers and fan removed. The plan is to put a window in where the fan grill used to be.

Minor update. I got the case pretty much all disassembled. There was a ton of little screws and clips everywhere, and it was neat to see how they held everything together. Next will be finding placement for some of the components.









More pics



The RFID reader from Trossen Robotics




The 2 bottles of paint from Auto Air Colors.


I also figured out a mounting for the 140mm rad. It was too big for the inside of the case and I thought putting it on the outside wouldn't look good. However after some trial and error I found that I can use the outer shell from an old 140mm fan as a spacer. The only other issue is that the barbs don't line up with the holes in the case, but that's a small hurdle. So the fan will be on the inside of the case with the rad and spacer on the outside. Alternatively I could just mount the fan to the rad and have them both on the outside of the case. Thoughts?

Update time

I got 2 of the 3 windows done. I started with the top mesh part on the side panel (where the headphones hang, above the hotswap bays)



I started by removing the steel mesh, then cutting out the plastic honeycomb mesh underneath with my scroll saw.




Then I cut out a piece from the AC Ryan panel I got. It took a lot of sanding and filing to get the window and the cutout nice and smooth.




MMMM nice fit




And a shot of where it goes on the case. I'm going to have a few components and some lighting behind this window, but I'm keeping the details a secret for now




Then I started on the top panel. I removed the steel mesh like on the side panel...




Then cut out the plastic honeycomb with the scroll saw. I had to do a lot more sanding and filing here than on the side panel. The reason for this is due to how Tt made the plastic parts. On the side I was able to install the window from underneath, so it didn't have to be 100%. Here I need to install the window on the top, and it will rest against a few small parts sticking out, so it needed to be perfect.




I used the steel mesh to trace out a rough line for the window panel.




And the window cut roughly.



And a nice fit This took a LOT of time as the window had to be a lot closer to perfect than the side one did. This window will also have components underneath, and both windows may have some etchings...we'll see on that later on.

Welcome to the forums! Also, I'm glad you're showing such great detailed step-by-step pix cuz i really needed to see them for some other project I've been considering. Nice to have some imagery to work with, and I'm already enjoying watching this mod. Keep up the good work!

Thanks! Feel free to check out TBCS (www.thebestcasescenario.com). That's my main modding base. I've got several well-documented projects there and I'm also a journalist (I write articles and reviews) for that site

Time for another update!



I finally got the case entirely stripped down, minus drilling out the rivets (that's later).




Here's all the hardware I had to remove to get all the plastic off this thing!




I did some measuring and marking on the side panel in preparation for cutting.




Then I tackled the plastic casing that covers that side intake hole. This will also have a window, making for 4 total windows in the case.




Here it is all trimmed out. This took several hours of cutting and sanding with the Dremel and final finish sanding. There were a lot of small tabs and whatnot that needed to be removed. What I'm left with is 2 small ledges on which to mount the window.




I went about making the window the same way as the others. I used the mesh I removed for an outline/guideline. Then I cut it out with the scroll saw and did the finish sanding with the Dremel and belt sander. Here it is in for a test-fit.






Here is the plastic and window sitting on the side panel.

The main thing left to do now is cut out the steel side door and work on component placement and electronics. The tough part is going to be finding the right mounting location for the linear actuator that will open and close the door.

I did some work with SketchUp tonight. I want to dress up the radiator since it will now be hanging off the back of the case rather than be inside it. I used my Black Ice 140 radiator to make one in SketchUp. Then I used the following picture of an industrial rooftop A/C unit to design a shroud that will screw to the backside of the radiator and fit in with the overall theme of the project. I plan to make this shroud out of white styrene sheet just like I made the louver assembly for my Tempest SXR (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/foru ... p?p=289709) mod a while back. Enjoy the pics

Thanks again for showing all the planning and detail.

Minor update.

I decided on a location for the Koolance flow meter. Theres this spot where the cables pass through and it fits nicely with a pair of 90º Bitspower fittings. The only problem is that pesky piece of the frame in the way. Only one thing to do...cut it out!





That's better This will be visible behind the window I put into the side panel, along with one of the protoboards from ProtoStack. I've got an idea of what to use the board for, now I just need to make it happen




I also decided to mount my Sentry 2 fan controller in this side panel rather than the front 5.25" bays. I already have experience mounting it without it's housing from my Tempest SXR mod, so this should be cake.








I measured and marked the hole, cut it out with my Dremel and filed it down nice and smooth.




Here's an idea of how it will look. All I need to do is make up some mounts for it on the inside, which should be rather easy.

Update time!

I got the actuator mounted! I used a hole that was already in the case as the rear mount, and used double-sided tape for the front to get the positioning correct. I set the actuator to full close, closed the door and stuck it on. It doesn't open 90º, but it's like 88º






Once I got the position correct and verified, I drilled the side panel to mount the bracket for the actuator. This nut and bolt will not be the final parts, they're just there for temporary mounting.



I also used a jigsaw to finish cutting out the rest of the side panel, then filed it down nice and smooth. I still need to do some finish grinding and filing to get the edges nice and straight, but it's a start.




Then I mounted the plastic covers back to the side panel to stiffen it, and retried the actuator to make sure everything was 100%




And a video, of course I set the code to run the actuator full open, wait 9 seconds, then full close, repeat. The reason for 9 seconds is that it takes ~4 seconds for the actuator to fully extend or retract.

And another update

I cut out a piece of black acrylic to use as a fill panel to hide all the slots and holes on the side of the 5.25" bays.



Next I marked and drilled 10 holes. 4 for the flow meter and 6 for the ProtoStack board. Each is held in by a 4-40 stainless allen head screw with a nut to act as a spacer. The acrylic itself is mounted in the same fashion to the side of the 5.25" drive bays.





And here's how it will look through the window in the side. The window is not installed here, but I put the panel on to get an idea. I'm going to use the ProtoStack board to run some interior lighting, wait till you see what I've got planned




Next I marked and drilled 4 holes in the top panel for the RFID reader.




Now the reader has pin headers and a barrel jack on it that won't allow it to fit under the window that will be there, so I had to break out the jigsaw again






I mounted the RFID reader in the same fashion as the ProtoStack board and flow meter, with 4-40 SS screws with nuts for spacers to keep the contacts off the metal of the case. It now fits perfectly under the window

Subscribed

I had to register to this website all because of this. I also own a level 10 GT, i'm really hyped to see the end result here. I've been wanting to mod my side panel too to make it a full window view, I am just not sure how it would look like. I am definitely keeping my eye on this one Keep up the good work!

Haha thanks man I've seen a GT mod with a FULL side panel window - meaning there was hardly no steel panel - just a sheet of plexi lol.

:EDIT: here's the link: http://modders-inc.com/modules.php?name ... pic&t=4927

I'm waiting for some more hardware from Thermaltake and a reply about a sponsorship from Bitspower for some fittings and then I can get back to work!!

Minor update. Got some goodies in

3 120mm Cooler Master Turbine Master 1800RPM fans





A Phobya Radiator Gasket




A Phobya 20x140mm radiator spacer






Black Ice Pro II 240mm low profile radiator




Fans mounted to top rad




And how it looks installed in the case. The rear 120mm fan will be as shown, with the rad spacer and 140mm rad behind the case. The spacer is necessary so that the fittings from the top of the rad will be able to go through the LC holes in the case.

This looks incredible

Minor update. I got bored while waiting for UPS to arrive this Friday with the rest of my goods so I decided to lap my processor. I looked pretty well flat, but I was surprised just how much it was off. These pics go from 400 grit through 1500 grit, and all I've got left to do is polish it















Expect an update this weekend after UPS drops off my drool-inducing goods

Parts are in. Enjoy

EK-Supreme HF CPU block




Laing DDC pump with Phobya Black Nickel pump top




Phobya Balancer 150mm Black Nickel res




And a nice pile of Bitspower Black Sparkle fittings