My intro - V2000B Phase Build Thread

[boshuter]

I have been lurking on this site for quite a while and hate seeing the message on every page that I haven't yet posted on OC3C :nono:.. So consider this my "Hello OC3D" thread.

I'm putting a phase change unit in the bottom of a Lian Li V2000B case and the top will be setup for a 120mm X 3 radiator for a water loop for gpu or gpu/nb. The top is already cut out for the radiator and has a Danger Den grill on it. I probably wont' install the water loop myself, but will leave that to whoever ends up with it; I probably will have a blue bay res installed to go along with the blue/black theme of the whole unit.

I have a Sunbeam fan controlller and am considering a Crystalfontz or Matrix Orbital blue lcd. I also have to consider how to integrate the phase unit with the pc system, ideally a controller will be used to make it a "one button push" to start the phase unit, then power on the pc when correct temp is reached. That will either require a 3rd party controller or a controller out of a Vapochill/Prommy. (this is one of the things still to be decided)

Anyway.... I'll update this as work progresses, here are some pics of the case as it looks now.

BTW... I plan to replace the side window, I don't like the fan holes that were cut into it when I got it. Does anyone know a good place to order plexi or acrylic panels for side windows? I haven't decided if I should use clear, or blue tint for the window... any suggestions are welcome.:coocoo::coocoo:

 

[boshuter]

Who needs hdd racks :chit:

Got some room to work now......

I'm seriously considering using a Vapochill LS compressor and condenser. I'm aiming at 200w load capacity (load tester watts, not cpu watts), and this can be accomplished with the LS components easily. I'll use a Chilly1 Evap, different cap tube, better condenser fan, desuperheater coil to help with condenser efficiency, and a few other minor improvements over a stock LS.

I'll probably go ahead and build the unit and test it for load capacity and temps before I decide to use it in the case, if it meets expectations I'll go ahead and mount it in the case...... if not I'll try to figure out how to get larger components in there :coocoo:

 

[boshuter]

I went back and forth on using the 5.5CLX compressor, or an NL11FX I have. I'm sure some people will shake their heads at my choice, and at a couple of other things I will be doing with this build .... Just keep in mind, this is not meant to be a benching unit ; I'm hoping for decent performance, great looks, and quiet relative to most single stages. I'm shooting for around -25 to -30c @ 200w load, this should be very doable with the components I'm using and still be able to maintain a low noise level.

Anyway, here is a pic of some of the piping and how it will all set in the case; I had to move the condenser up 1 1/2" off the bottom to be able to keep the front panel connections in the case, I also took care to make sure there was plenty of room for a 1kw or larger psu.

 

[boshuter]

The 5.5CLX is a really good compressor, it has the same HP motor as the NL11FX (3/8hp), just lower cc's, it's also a lower temp compressor and is made for 404a/507, and the NL11 is for 134a. I'm betting it will do the job.

I'm more concerned about condenser capacity and have done a couple of things that I think will help with that. First the desuperheater, I normally get around 20c drop in temps from compressor outlet to inlet of condenser with a well designed DS inline with fan airflow; Second, I set this up to test a number of fan combinations to try to keep noise to a minimum while still meeting performance expectations. I have 3 options for the fan, a 120X38mm bolted directly to the condenser, a 120X25mm with a 1" fan shroud between fan and condenser, and either of the above with an extra 120X25mm mounted in front of the condenser in a push/pull setup. I'm hoping the second option works out, I'm going to try that one with a fairly quiet 120X25mm Scythe fan that pushes a little over 100cfm at around 40db.

Anyway.... unit is all brazed, pressure tested, insulated, and being vacuumed right now..... here are a couple of pics

 

[boshuter]

I did get a chance to do the initial charge tonight and should start load testing tomorrow night. So far things look good, but I won't really know much until I get the load tester on it.

The pic below shows the unloaded temp after running about 45min. It's still undercharged and low side was in vacuum at this point, the pressures were app. 5"hg low side and 170psi high side. I'm running a mix of r502 and r290 and using app. 9' (give take an inch) of .031 cap tube.

One thing I want to point out, notice the difference in the real temp measured with a K-type probe and expensive meter compared to the temp reading on the Vapochill lcd This one is actually better than most, I've had them read 15-20 degrees off, of course this one stopped at -60c and never went lower even as the other meter did, it may be farther off at final working temps.

 

[boshuter]

Got a chance to start on load testing

So far it's looking like it will easily meet expectations, but I do believe I have reached the limits of the condenser/fan combo I'm running now. As I said before, I want this to be quiet, so I currently have a low speed Panaflo 120X38mm fan on it and after an hour of running @ 200w the exit temp at the condenser is steady, but higher than I like. I know one of my Delta "screamer" fans would help with temps and capacity, but who wants to listen to one of those all day I'm waiting on the 120X25mm Scythe fan I ordered to arrive, I'm sure it will do much better than the Panaflo, not necessarily give me more capacity or lower temps, but I'm sure it will drop the temps at the exit of the condenser, which has to be good.

Anyway..... here it is after running for an hour at 200w. I'll do more testing later and have all the temps at different loads...

 

[boshuter]

I got a chance to do more load testing tonight. I went ahead and put the monster Delta fan on it and it helped the 200w load by 2.5-3 degrees and dropped the temp on line at exit of condenser by about 7 deg.... all this is good, but the Delta is just too loud for a system meant to be for everyday use. I'll test again when the Scythe fan arrives and I'm fairly sure it will fall between the Panaflo and the Delta... and do it quietly

Anyway.... here are the load test results, and suprisingly a decent job at 225w, it held that for about 2 hrs before I took the pic. I think the sweet spot for this unit is going to be around 185w-200w for everyday use.

Idle: -51.5

100w -39

175w -33.8

200w -31.5

225w -24.4

I'm going to get started on the case, getting it ready to mount the unit in and finding where to mount the controller for the phase unit. I'm going to mount the LCD for the phase controller in the bottom bay cover.

 

[boshuter]

I'll update you on where this project is at now..... other than a few details, like sleeving the wiring to match the flex line, and whatever else pops up, it's pretty much finished. I still am going to test some different fan configurations to get the best performance/noise balance I can.

I mounted the Vapochill blue LCD in one of the Lian Li bay covers.

I decided to mount the controller power supply board under the bracket in the back of the case, it looks good there and is some protection from anything getting into it.

The other controller board will mount on the divider tray directly behind the LCD.

I had to get the condenser off the floor of the case 1 1/2" to clear the cables for the cases front IO panel. I made these aluminum brackets to do that and put 1/8" foam tape on them to help keep any vibration from transmitting to the case.

 

[boshuter]

Here is what it all looks like installed in the case, the wiring isn't done, but the unit will probably come back out when I start playing with the fan setups. I'd still like to do something different with that window, but if I'm going to sell it I'll wait and see what the owner wants to do.

The slot in the divider wasn't large enough to let the flex line pass through easily, so I trimmed it 1/8" all the way around.

I painted the condenser sides and all exposed copper tubing in gloss black..... it came out really well and will look much better than the bare copper, which always turns dull and ugly over time.

It looks good with the window side panel on..... I just dont' like the fan holes that are in the window now.... maybe replace it with a blue tint window...hmmmm :yup:

I mounted the phase controller LCD in the bay right above the power button. Since this is designed to have a 3 X 120mm radiator in the top of the case, the top two bays are pretty much out for drives. I decided to mount a 4 X 20 blue Crystal Fontz usb LCD panel in those bays..... it looks fantastic and can be used to monitor/display gpu temps (cpu/evap temps will display on the controller LCD).

Thats about it..... if I make any other changes I'll post them, but mainly this is the end result. Unless I sell this soon I'll probably use it for testing some other configurations, maybe the larger NL11FX compressor and bigger condenser for lower temps... but quiet still has to be the primary consideration

Let me know what you think of it.....

 

[Ham]

Looks good man. Nice to see a builder about. Good results on the load tester too, even with a small compressor.

But for the love of god, get some hardware in there

 

[ionicle]

looks good

but as ham said, get some hardware in there

what spec are you planning for it?

hope its AMD

 

[FarFarAway]

Looks very slick mate, nice tidy build and nice temps with the hardware you've got. Are we going to see it full up?

 

[Mr. Smith]

Sweet. I wanted a phase but it turns out they aren't practical for 24/7 usage (turning on/off a lot).

Look forward to seeing some hardware in there with some results.

 

[boshuter]

I'm glad you guys like the build.

I really doubt that I'll put any hardware in this though... it will probably be sold soon and another build started. I don't bench with phase change anymore, just dice and occasionally ln2 and my daily use pc isn't even oc'd. I am thinking about maybe pulling the small compressor/condenser out and replacing them with larger ones (NL11FX) for better temps... will just depend on how long I have it sitting here.

I just enjoy building these units, once they are done I'm ready to try something else, so look forward to more build logs from me soon.

@Mr. Smith... I don't know about "practical", but there is no reason you can't run phase 24/7. A phase unit doesn't turn off and on at all. I personally wouldn't run phase 24/7, if I wanted to run phase on my main pc I would shut it down at night or when it would be unattended for long periods.... if for no other reason than the power comsumption.