New Product: the ~Water Board~ external Cooler - Overclock.net

*CyberDruid* · 03-24-09

I think you'll like this latest creation.

This is going to be a build log too so expect to see some step by step shots of the cooler.

The Water Board is a stand alone external cooler for up to 2 triple radiators. I'll be offering them as barebones or turn key. Rather than describe what the cooler looks like you'll just have to stay tuned for the picture show

What I will tell you is the cooler will be aproximately 8" x 8" x 20" and can be tailored to suit your needs without modifications.

The Water Board can be used as a pedestal for your case, placed on top of your case, or set anywhere convenient to your case. When used as a base the PC Case is niched into the unit in a secure manner, and the same when the cooler is set on top of the case.

The unit will be lightweight and easy to ship.

A number of options will be available in the choice of materials, overall dimensions and price of the Water Board.

You heard it here first...an affordable, attractive and flexible liquid cooling solution.

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VIDEOOOOOOOS

YouTube - External Cooler for PC: Proof of Concept Part 1

YouTube - First Run Prototype Cooler Water Board: Part 2

You Tube

YouTube - Water Board External Cooler Update

YouTube - Water Board Cooler mini update

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Latest Picture

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PRICING

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberDruid

Cost depends a geat deal on what exactly you are ordering.

First consider the materials used. The difference in cost between say a piece of Pine versus a piece of 1/2" acrylic is huge. Likewise the difference between a raw, unfinished piece of wood and a piece of wood with 10 coats of Spar Varnish or 100 coats of shellac in a French Polish finish is huge. But a prefinished material like Melamine is cheap.

Also the alloy tubes can be polished (extra labor extra cost) or powdercoated. Or left raw and you can break out a $1 can of spraypaint and customize them yourself

And of course there is the completely variable cost of the Liquid Cooling hardware. A pair of PA120.3 radiators is going to be about twice as much as a pair of MCR320...a DDC pump will be less than an MCP655...but the custom top may make it twice as high. However a single rad unit would obviously be much cheaper and a barebones unit for you to refit your own LC gear into would cheapest of all.

As you can see it's about impossible to quote a price without knowing all the specifics.

So let me quote the price of my "Proof of Concept" for you instead. Just the Water Board with no LC gear in a raw state (sanded to 220 but no finish) is $150. That covers my estimated labor to reproduce one from 4/4 Mahogany and the tubes and all thread rod, washers and Acorn nuts you see in the pics and vids. Polish all Alloy add $30. Expect to pay about $20 shipping because it will be in a large box with a ton of packing material to ensure it survives transit.

Exact same thing but out of Black or White Melamine with a plastic T molding covering the outer edge of each panel (again no LC gearinstalled) is $100, $30 to polish alloy, $20 to hip in the US (estimated).

To estimate a turn key Waterboard go to PPC or Petras or Sidewinder or Jab-tech and fill your cart with the gear and add that number to the numbers above.

Brackets for a pump or reservoir if required would be about $20 per bracket.

Making the unit larger or smaller or changing it from the dimensions you see in the pics or vids means re-engineering and re-templating for me and extra charges for labor. Not a lot...but it is a factor.

To get an idea of what acrylic would cost you go to USplastics or TAP plastics and pick out the type of acrylic inthe thickness you want and use a 24" x 24" dimension put it in your cart for the shipped total and there's your cost for the material. Acrylic requires all edges to be sanded and polished to be "pro" and that's a lot of labor. I estimate at least $150 in labor to polish the edges.

Hope that helps.

Of course PMing with specific HW requirements would work too

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Here is the exact pricing for the prototype unit purchased by PhelanJKell

Quote:

Water Board Components: 2 Custom Routed Mahogany Side panels with beveled edges sanded to 220 (1" x 8.5" x 21.5"); each panel drilled and routed to accept an MCR320 Radiator (PM for other radiator quotes) and support rods; 6 5/16-18 all-thread rods cut to length; 6 Aluminum tubes cut to length; 24 Flat washers; 12 Acorn Nuts. ~$150

Extras:

Custom Formed Acrylic Cover (Black 12" x 48" x .125" material costs $30 http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/var...ant%5Fid=44464). ~$60

3/16" Neoprene Sound Dampening Sheet (cut to fit and installed with 3M 777 spray adhesive to the interior of the Acrylic Cover). ~$15

Custom Angled Pump Bracket Kit for MCP655/D-5/D-4 pumps consists of: two custom cut aluminum rails drilled to accept isolator grommets and support tubes; (4) Medium, and (2) Short Tube Sections to replace stock support tubes; 4 Vibration Isolating Grommets; 4 Longer Pump-mount-screws. ~$45

Polish all alloy parts ~$30

Sand to 320 and apply Linseed oil ~$15

Apply one ounce of 2# Cut Shellac and block flat to 320 ~$45

Apply 3 coats of Polyurethane Top Coat ~$45

Total before Hardware ~$405

Hardware: 2 MCR 320 Radiatiors w/Yate Loon High Speed Fans (http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-65556269...ulracomce.html), 6 Mesh Filters (http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-65556269...alfanfisi.html), Screws, Washers, 25' of 7/16" ID MasterKleer Tubing (http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-65556269...5odmagepu.html) ~$195

Extras:

Cylinder Reservoir (helps with bleeding/ filling/deaerating pump and rads) ~$35

Assembly and Testing ~$30

Total Before Shipping ~$665

*CyberDruid* · 03-24-09

1" x 9" Mahogany plank 43+" long

Two brand spanking new MCR320 radiators

Plank cleaned up to 8-5/8" wide and ply templates cut to that width and to 21-1/2" long

Using drum from spindle sander to trace arcs that I will cut to make the radius template.

Using template to mark Plywood panels

Perfected template for Water Board side panel

Mahogany blanks for the side panels after radiusing corners.

Too much fun

A pair of identically milled panels.

I laid out the panels so the end grain would mirror.

At this point the panels are sanded and ready to run through the router to chamfer the edges 3/16"

Completed unit in the raw...no finish no polish on the metal yet.

Using a LL case to demonstrate one way the Water Board could be put to use.

Extremely rigid.

Width is completely adjustable

Same idea could be made for 4 radiators (double tall) or longer or wider radiators.

The side panels could be acrylic or glass or whatever building material that comes in panel form you might desire from Granite to Particle board.

It's easy to adust the tube and rod lengths to accomodate wider or narrower cases and to place the rods wherever they might need to be to supportthe case and accomodate the radiator(s).

It is perfectly stable vertical as well.

It could even be made slightly smaller. I chose these dimension based on the materials I had on hand, the cases I had to demo the cooler.

Yet to come: some brackets for the pump(s0 and reservoir(s).

This is a Proof of Concept for an innovation i.e unique construction method that uses tubing in compression between panels to build lightweight, strong structures in this case an External Cooler.

More to folllow