NFC Skyreach 4 Mini - Vanilla Ice (plus delidding stuff)

[br3nd0]

DO IT!

I was wondering the same thing actually... But if this source https://www.goldn.co.uk/how-to/preparing-surface-electroplating/ is anything to go by, then polishing seems to be the way forward especially since copper can form an oxidized layer as well.

Definitely keep us updated with this one! Looking forward to the pictures and results

Absolutely will do - thanks again for the links!

I can't guarantee anything short-term, but give it 2-3 weeks and I'll hopefully have some more updates on the coating by then, which should coincide with the arrival of Gury's custom PSU, yay!

 

[br3nd0]

@Glint -

Emailed Justin at RockitCool to get views on the concerns around copper lids & liquid metal paste, came back with a pretty cool (pun intended) response.

He said they'd had many discussions with the guys from Coollaboratory and received some great responses.

They also worked with youtuber BoostedMedia who actually put up a couple of decent vids, one with the delid process and the other a follow up / balanced perspective of the issue around liquid metal under copper.

In any case I've taken all info on board and I'm still gonna look at the copper lids and nickel/silver coating and post results. I found a few nearby businesses who actually do this stuff professionally, one here in Australia do stuff for customers globally aswell. I thought it best to see if I can get it done professionally first instead of a half-baked home job, simple though it is!

More to follow once I receive responses to my online enquiries

Do we need a separate thread for this stuff?

 

[Glint]

So what are the chances that LTT spends their time lurking through the SFFForum? and just had to 1up you... @br3nd0

 

[br3nd0]

So what are the chances that LTT spends their time lurking through the SFFForum? and just had to 1up you... @br3nd0

Linus you cheeky f***er!

Seems based on your links provided earlier @Glint that they skipped over a whole bunch of pre-plating prep work, e.g cleaning & polishing, which I think could be very important to those looking to try this.

I also note they didn't plate the whole lid because they used the stock one which was already nickel on the underbelly.

I wonder what full gold would be like on a custom copper lid, top and bottom... Interesting to note the plasti-dipping on the PCB. Not sure I'd try that, but on this video the guy uses clear nail lacquer on the 3 little dots next to the die which looks to give a protective layer and a way to prevent any leakage/corrosion (and eventual CPU destruction) from the liquid metal.

I did hear back from a couple of places who can do the plating for me. A couple of them use a wire to hang the block inside the water when plating and asked if the block had a hole or possible to drill a hole for this reason, I pretty much said that wasn't an option but there's definitely a way around that and I'm working on alternatives with them via email trail at present. I think I'll get there though.

Not sure I'd go as far as engraving though which messes with the surface flatness... in any case, this is very cool, nice to see some big players looking into this too!

 

[Glint]

Linus you cheeky f***er!

Seems based on your links provided earlier @Glint that they skipped over a whole bunch of pre-plating prep work, e.g cleaning & polishing, which I think could be very important to those looking to try this.

I also note they didn't plate the whole lid because they used the stock one which was already nickel on the underbelly.

I wonder what full gold would be like on a custom copper lid, top and bottom... Interesting to note the plasti-dipping on the PCB. Not sure I'd try that, but on this video the guy uses clear nail lacquer on the 3 little dots next to the die which looks to give a protective layer and a way to prevent any leakage/corrosion (and eventual CPU destruction) from the liquid metal.

I did hear back from a couple of places who can do the plating for me. A couple of them use a wire to hang the block inside the water when plating and asked if the block had a hole or possible to drill a hole for this reason, I pretty much said that wasn't an option but there's definitely a way around that and I'm working on alternatives with them via email trail at present. I think I'll get there though.

Not sure I'd go as far as engraving though which messes with the surface flatness... in any case, this is very cool, nice to see some big players looking into this too!

Yes, this is true... A lot of the prep work did appear to be absent in their endeavor.

I enjoy aesthetic mods but can't say I'm able to convince myself to plastidip the PCB. It would still bother me knowing that it's green underneath lmao.

Now in regards to using gold - I drool at the thought of a gold IHS in addition to its other general properties as a material. However, I fear out of speculation that the cost wouldn't make it worth it in my mind for something I may change in the next couple of years. For me, the cost would be the deciding factor on this one.

Maybe it would be possible to drill a really small hole somewhere along the outer edge of the copper IHS? Curious to know what the work-around will end up being...

When I delidded my 8086k, I applied clear liquid electrical tape on the same spot you just described. I gathered that it wasn't necessary but highly recommended when using liquid metal to prevent electrical shorts from occurring.

Spoiler: Visual aid

I didn't spray the entire PCB though



I'm getting the mod-itch again...

 

[br3nd0]

Yes this is true... Alot of the prep work did appear to be absent in their endeavor.

I enjoy aesthetic mods but can't say I'm able to convince myself to plastidip the PCB. It would still bother me knowing that it's green underneath lmao.

Now in regards to using gold - I drool at the thought of a gold IHS in addition to it's other general properties as a material. However, I fear out of speculation that the cost wouldn't make it worth it in my mind for something I may change in the next couple of years. For me, cost would be the deciding factor on this one.

Maybe it would be possible to drill a really small hole somewhere along the outer edge of the copper IHS? Curious to know what the work-around will end up being...

When I delidded my 8086k, I applied clear liquid electrical tape on the same spot you just described. I gathered that it wasn't necessary but highly recommended when using liquid metal to prevent electrical shorts from occurring (Will add pic later). I didn't spray the entire PCB though



I'm getting the mod-itch again...

Yeah, I see the plasti-dip as unnecessary, I'll check out that liquid electrical tape too, that might work better than nail polish LOL.

Full gold IHS would be sensational but yes, ridiculously expensive. When I was googling a while back I found a thread of a guy manufacturing solid all-silver IHSes at NotebookReview, an expensive venture by the looks, hate to think what gold would cost...

Maybe I could reach out to RockitCool to see if they could machine a couple of custom copper lids with an extra little piece extruding to on one side with a small hole to fit a thin wire hook to help with dipping/plating, that won't interfere with mounting (might interfere with the delid tool though). But if I can do it without that then I'd be happy enough - time will tell.

I'm hardly a modder myself but as a SFF enthusiast in search of any way to reduce temps, slight as they may be, this stuff really intrigues me and worth the time and effort, especially for others looking at doing the same

 

[br3nd0]

Update: 2 new copper lids on the way for the nickel and silver electroplating test, but a termite scare at home has proven very costly, so this takes priority (and a decent chunk of last month's commission too)... looks like this time next month before the 2TB SSD goes in the rig and I order my headphones & monitor. My G-Unique custom unit should arrive by then anyway, so it should all come together nicely. Meantime I'll send my copper lids away for plating and report back

 

[br3nd0]

Two lids arrived a few days ago from RockitCool, waiting for a (semi-local) business to get back to me tomorrow with final quotes for plating - however they did say there is a 4 week turnaround! They're a small family-based business who have been in operation for 30+ years so they know what they're doing and have been really good at returning my calls / emails, so they will get my business. Termite scare isn't as bad as first though but $$$ put aside nevertheless. If the cost isn't too prohibitive, I'll do one silver and the other nickel, and maybe even get a quote for one in gold for next time! If silver is too expensive, I'll get them both done in nickel. Nickel it is - their minimum order is $110 so I might even wait and get a couple more and include them in my order just to make it more worthwhile.

Also found a really interesting thread about liquid metal on copper & other metals, involves mostly laptops but the science is the same, for anyone keen to have a read:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-compatibility-with-copper-heat-sinks.800890/

 

[br3nd0]

Just received a DM from gury via Discord that my PSU will ship next week, with a c6 connector (I will need to buy the c5 cable or vice versa). I think it will be worth the wait, looking forward to posting more updates here. Gonna call the electroplaters for an update Monday on the 3 lids I sent down. Also will be purchasing a small tube of Starbrite liquid electrical tape.

 

[br3nd0]

Lids arrived yesterday all nickel-plated and polished. Look nice & shiny, appears to be some unevenness on the top surface area, I'm guessing from the method the platers used (I thought they may have fully immersed in liquid but they look 'brushed'). I also requested a matte finish but they definitely look polished. Not taking away from their craftmanship, I will probably just lap the top surface using the sandpaper method, bringing it back to the flat copper surface (maybe even the outer edges of the bottom).

 

[br3nd0]

Hi guys, Gury posted more pics of my custom PSU / MB & SSD tray, for sharing. Hopefully it will arrive by Christmas.

 

[threestripevida]

Hi guys, Gury posted more pics of my custom PSU / MB & SSD tray, for sharing. Hopefully it will arrive by Christmas.

Woah. What is it exactly?

 

[br3nd0]

Woah. What is it exactly?

Just some of the usual wizardry from Gury... It's some sort of power distro board (sits under Mobo) + SSD tray (sits atop GPU), SATA and GPU power supplied direct from DC jack to SSD tray so no SATA power or GPU cables required from direct-plug unit.

Original thread here:

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...therboard-tray-and-dc-jack-for-skyreach.6464/

 

[CubanLegend]

wow, definitely a unique peice of haredware... whats the purpose of it? you aren't doing brickless?.. so then why not use the mobo to supply power to your HDD's? or is this to allow you to mount additional SSD/HDDs that the original number allowed through the S4M mounting points by default??

edit: nevermind, i read the thread.

 

[br3nd0]

wow, definitely a unique peice of haredware... whats the purpose of it? you aren't doing brickless?.. so then why not use the mobo to supply power to your HDD's? or is this to allow you to mount additional SSD/HDDs that the original number allowed through the S4M mounting points by default??

edit: nevermind, i read the thread.

I plan to do brickless next time round. Hanging out for AMD's new CPU & GPU lineup next year, full AMD / brickless for the lounge room Plex HTPC & backup / casual gaming rig.

 

[br3nd0]

OK so Gury's custom PSU showed up on 23rd December, all installed no worries . In my excitement I forgot to install the springs underneath the mobo tray, but this doesn't impede function or performance, so will undo and redo when I have lapped the custom nickel-plated cpu block & reinstalled CPU. One issue - the fans don't work. Kinda took away a bit of my excitement, but there is no evidence of shutdown or overloading and my hardware isn't too crazy, and given the nature of the brick in its first iteration as passive & no fans, I'm not overly concerned. I'm talking with Gury to work out a solution - it will probably be cheaper and quicker to buy another brick (have asked for a good discount given what's happened) than to send back. I'm happy enough to use as a passive brick in the interim. On the hotter days (Australian summer) I might use a silent usb-powered fan over the brick which should keep it cool. More to follow.

 

[br3nd0]

Quick update - Gury has offered to sell me one of his other bricks, the G-Brick Ultimate pictured below - slightly smaller, all-black, single fan, power and fan switches, for a great price. That's my original brick on the left, which will still be kept as a spare and still used occasionally... maybe this can be my "Winter" passive brick and the replacement my summer "active" brick

I suspect some possible damage or a knock during shipping as Gury has assured me the original "Supremacy" brick was tested thoroughly, which I don't doubt. Thank goodness the rest of it works - I'm so impressed by the setup.

Couple of quick pics installed in the S4. Once I get the new brick I'll order my 2TB SSD and close the lid on the S4. I'll throw up some more post-install pics in the next couple of days.

I'll also probably get one of Josh's dark frosted front panels, to see what it looks like against the white, whilst also venting out some of the hot air from the GPU.

 

[Derminick]

Quick update - Gury has offered to sell me one of his other bricks, the G-Brick Ultimate pictured below - slightly smaller, all-black, single fan, power and fan switches, for a great price. That's my original brick on the left, which will still be kept as a spare and still used occasionally... maybe this can be my "Winter" passive brick and the replacement my summer "active" brick

I suspect some possible damage or a knock during shipping as Gury has assured me the original "Supremacy" brick was tested thoroughly, which I don't doubt. Thank goodness the rest of it works - I'm so impressed by the setup.

Couple of quick pics installed in the S4. Once I get the new brick I'll order my 2TB SSD and close the lid on the S4. I'll throw up some more post-install pics in the next couple of days.

I'll also probably get one of Josh's dark frosted front panels, to see what it looks like against the white, whilst also venting out some of the hot air from the GPU.

Please correct me if I am wrong. So, the motherboard tray sits underneath the mb supplying 24 pin and cpu pin power, which is connected to the sdd tray which supplies storage drive and gpu power. This is then connected to an external brick which can power 500-1000W. Please excuse my ignorance lmao.

Also do you have any pics of the case closed from the top down with the g unique suite so I may see what the end result looks like?

 

[br3nd0]

Please correct me if I am wrong. So, the motherboard tray sits underneath the mb supplying 24 pin and cpu pin power, which is connected to the sdd tray which supplies storage drive and gpu power. This is then connected to an external brick which can power 500-1000W. Please excuse my ignorance lmao.

Also do you have any pics of the case closed from the top down with the g unique suite so I may see what the end result looks like?

Correct on all of the above except GPU power which is still fed directly from the brick.

To be honest I haven't done anything on this build since my last post in this thread, I haven't even sent my new brick back for replacement yet (it actually fully died a few weeks back), just putting it down to busy times with the family (kids at new school this year etc.) and a drop of laziness/complacency, and doing more comp games in CSGO.

I want to get the replacement brick first then will put in the plated lid, close the top cover and post more pics, but for now I'm using a backup G-Unique setup uncovered.

Hit me up if anyone wants more info or photos in the meantime tho

Cheers

 

[Derminick]

Correct on all of the above except GPU power which is still fed directly from the brick.

To be honest I haven't done anything on this build since my last post in this thread, I haven't even sent my new brick back for replacement yet (it actually fully died a few weeks back), just putting it down to busy times with the family (kids at new school this year etc.) and a drop of laziness/complacency, and doing more comp games in CSGO.

I want to get the replacement brick first then will put in the plated lid, close the top cover and post more pics, but for now I'm using a backup G-Unique setup uncovered.

Hit me up if anyone wants more info or photos in the meantime tho

Cheers

I gotcha, what ive heard is that the power is cleaner coming to the system. Either way the build looks sick. I look forward to when you finish it. One last thing, how was the cooling/noise between using the 92mm fan and shroud, vs the 100mm fan? Im looking at cooling setups, but I feel like im over thinking it if im going to be using a 65w cpu.