Dark Blade: Part 1

Radiator Supports

The position of the two 120mm radiators on either side of the Water Station required creating proper supports for them. The primary supports consisted of milling down some simple aluminium L-channel to an aesthetically pleasing shape via the centre lathe CNC, which would then be attached to the base of the unit.

Before being attached to the unit, the bracket would be attached between the radiator and the fans via some black anodized hex-head screws. Some brass bars, milled to be hidden inside the radiator shroud, added strength to the final assembly and prevented the screws from piercing the radiator fins or coils.

The top of the radiator would receive similar treatment. However, instead of an L-channel, some black anodized aluminium sheeting of the same thickness was used.


The final assembly sits the radiators a few millimetres away from the grilles, securely in place due to the L-channel.

Pump Supports

The supports for the two water pumps were actually created twice - the first attempt was aborted, and the second one was used.


The first attempt consisted of milling holes through the base of the Water Station for the pumps, and affixing a backer plate underneath. The pumps would then be held down by two retaining pieces that are attached via thin rods, fixing them in place. The backer plate was grooved in an effort to create less surface area for vibration to pass through, a practice that did not work as well as I had hoped. Further, the retaining pieces interfered with the tubing, which rendered the design useless.


The second solution involved a flat back piece and the same idea of a retaining piece, but the piece was designed to be sturdier and allowed more space for the tubes. This also fit the "theme" better in my opinion, which alone made them worth redoing.


Once fully assembled, the pump housings did their job of both holding the pumps fast and dampening vibrations.