Matrix Orbital Corp

First of all, let me say I'm completely new to the world of LCDs and all that surrounds them as far as DIY goes. I'm also new to the forum and tried to put this in the more relevant section, it seemed to fit here since the post is more focused on implementation to hardware...

I've seen these LCDs in action and they look awesome, so I decided to try and get one working, but before putting down the money I want to make sure that I can do what I want to do with reasonable effort.

Mainly I want to do the basics, CPU usage, RAM usage, CPU temp, etc, however, I also have a liquid cooled system and not only would like liquid temperature but flow monitoring as well.

I found a neat little gadget to monitor the coolant flow, but I haven't the slightest clue on how to implement it or if it is even possible to:
http://www.koolance.com/shop/product_in ... cts_id/288

I also haven't the slightest idea on how to monitor the coolant temp, but that isn't a huge deal as I have a koolance case and it's already being displayed.

Any ideas or suggestions? I also need to know which model LCD would be best (I prefer blue background with white text, black bezel), 1 or 2 bays either is fine.

Thanks.

Hi Ancyker,

Thank you for posting on the forum.

What you can do with monitoring CPU temp, ram usage, etc, is use the software that comes with the display, LCDC. Information on LCDC can be found at http://www.lcdc.cc/about.htm The information is sent from LCDC via other software plugins, so you will need to use some external software like hardware system monitor, which can be downloaded at http://www.hmonitor.com/ Other things can be monitored using the dallas one wire temperature probes.

You'll need to look at the user manual on how to implement that device.


I would recommend using the MX2 or MX4 series with a white text on a blue background. You can check them out at http://www.matrixorbital.com/index.php? ... mx2-series

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to post them.

Best Regards,

At this point if you decide to go with that koolance flow meter you would have to make your own custom cable to be able to use it with anything, because according to Koolance's website they have not designed a product to work with it yet. However after looking at the spec sheet, it does not seem that complicated, and we would be more than happy to help you create this DIY cable if you choose to go that route.

That said if you want to skip the headache and possible crossed wires, that cause smoke... (and crying) you could just go with the Innovatek flow meter that is sold by frozenCPU. This product would be fully supported by our MX units without creating any custom cable, and because frozenCPU sells our MX units you would be able to order it at the same time to combine shipping.

To use it simply connect it to one of the fan headers (also known as advanced GPO's) and it will provide a flow read out in revolutions per minute that you will be able to read using LCDC. To convert the RPM to litres per minute use this formula, 2800 RPM = 1 litre per minute.

Jumping in here . . .

I'll be purchasing one of these units also, and I've been wondering how useful the temp probes would be. Does it make more sense to simply rely on some monitoring software that plugs into lcdc? Are there areas where I could use these probes to good advantage in an air-cooled case that fall outside the practical capabilities of monitoring software? I do plan to overclock, but not on the "bleeding edge" of the l33t crowd. I don't want to spend $30-$40 on temperature probes if there's no real use for them.

Thanks!

One method is to cover the ends of the temp probe in a bit of an epoxy to water proof them and then you can use them to monitor the water temp directly.

Another method is to monitor the temps through software via LCDC and then to place the temp probes by the intake and exaust fans to give you an overall idea of how hot your computer is running.

Some prefer to glue (or electrical tape) the temp probes to the backside of their motherboard, underneath components such as their south/north bridge and CPU. As well as to the backside of their videocard.

Or I'm sure you could do a combination of these methods. But just remember the temp probes are designed to give you a reading of the heat in the area that they are in, and the actual temperature of the CPU is best monitored through your onboard sensors.

Let me know what method you decide to go with.

If you want to be controlling the rpm of the radiator fan, then you will need to monitor the coolant temperature, the best way to do this is with a t piece connector. Drill a small hole big enough to fit a temp probe but small enough for it to be a tight fit, (I recommenced the placement below) then epoxy round the base of the probe, and leave it to cure (though I recommend keeping an eye on it until it goes tacky so that not too much epoxy enters into the t piece itself and no holes appear). After you've done that, spread a thin layer of epoxy over the head of the probe inside the t piece (I recommend a cocktail stick). Once the epoxy

Thanks for posting that guide, maybe we should put this as a sticky? What do you guys think? Might need some pictures?