The following pictures show the completed circuit:

The coolant we used consisted of a mixture of 99% distilled water and 1% Silkolene ProCCA radiator additive. To this mixture we added 2 drops of methelyne blue in order to regulate color.

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The Intel based system was completed by installing its PSUs, drives, and add-on cards.

AMD System: Setup and Installation

The water cooling circuit configuration and preparation is the same as with the Intel based system.

After mounting the water block to the motherboard, the Lytron MCS remote cooler needed to be integrated into the water cooling circuit.

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The only modification that had to be done to the case was to drill 2 x 1” holes in order to connect the inlet and outlet tubes from the Lytron MCS to the water block.

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At this point, all the components were connected using ClearFlex 60 tubing.

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The remaining components (drives and add-on cards) were installed, and that brought to an end our installation of the AMD and Intel based systems.

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Wiring

Both of our systems had multiple AC components whose operation was critical to the functionality and integrity of the respective systems. Of primary concern was our ability to power up multiple components simultaneously. As far too many of us know, disaster looms if a pump were not turned on at system start up. Delicate CPUs will overheat and cause damage if not managed properly.

Some of us are familiar with the concept of using a relay to automatically power on a peripheral device e.g. pump, fan, or other AC powered component. To put it in the simplest of terms, a relay acts as a switch. They typically have a DC voltage side and an AC voltage side. When a DC voltage is applied to the relay, the AC side is activated and power is applied to the components connected to its circuit. Relays are rated in terms of volts and amps. When choosing one, the average user will observe that it is rated for 12V operation to match the power supply's output. The current rating refers to the maximum amps that the relay can safely manage.

Our Intel based system presented a special challenge. Not only did we need to ensure that our water pump powered up with the system; we also needed to trigger our dedicated TEC power supply too. We turned to a device we built previously in which a relay was integrated into a 7 outlet surge protector.

By plugging in the pump and the auxiliary power supply to the surge protector, we now felt comfortable in our ability to safely run our Intel system without ever worrying about damaging our components by failing to power up properly. An additional benefit of using this device is that it provides surge protection; a very important consideration when using relays to trigger power supplies. All power supplies have a current surge at start up. A surge protected power strip will help avoid any complications from a current spike which could damage your electrical components. For further information on building your own sensing power strip, refer to our guide.

The same concept was employed with our AMD based system, however here; we simply integrated a relay into the Lytron MCS’ power cord. Surge protection is not as critical in this case as it is with our Intel system. The 10 AMP relay we used can safely handle any current rush produced by the Lytron’s pump or electric fan.

Next: Part 6