Nukit Tempest Instructions
How to assemble your Nukit Tempest
The kit contains everything you need except a Phillips head screwdriver and those components users prefer to specify for themselves to suit their specific requirements.
Nukit Tempest is a safe and appropriate classroom STEM or Make-Ed project for all ages. It teaches many of the same basic skills required to assemble a custom PC, as well as good cable management for more complex electronic projects.
These instructions are very detailed, but putting it together is really quite easy. But, if you encounter difficulty with the Nukit Tempest kit, any business that builds custom PCs will be able to assemble it for you.
You will need:
2- Furnace filters, 20”x20”x2”.
1- DC power supply 12v, 2A with 5.5x2.1mm barrel connector. (Suggested)
6- PC cooling fans, 140mm. (Suggested and this- 5+1 fans)
Optional:
6- fan guards, 140mm. (Suggested or these for very small children)
Lets get started!
Carefully open the box with a short blade to avoid scratching the contents.
Remove the cardboard tube containing the side grills.
Note: Avoid the urge to just start putting it all together. It is much easier if you attach and wire the fans before you screw the panels together.
Find the bottom panel. It has six small holes in the center of it. These are for the optional Mean Well power supply and accessory boards.
Attach the four square, self-adhesive feet to the four corners of the bottom plate.
Find the 3mm rubber hole plugs.
Seal each hole by inserting the stem of the rubber plug into each small hole and pulling it through.
Ensure the plug's flat end is on the same side as the rubber feet.
Find the back panel. It has a square hole at the bottom and a 19mm round hole at the top. This hole is used for the optional power-loss alarm key switch. The top of this plate is also marked “UP”.
Insert the 19mm rubber plug into the round hole.
Find the IEC-style 5.5mm barrel jack, female-to-male, 12v DC power connector.
Feed the wire through the square hole.
Firmly press the plastic connector into the square hole until it snaps in place. (This may require adult assistance)
Find the front panel. The top of this plate is also marked “UP” but it has three large holes for 140mm fans.
Find the self-tapping PC fan screws.
Placing a grille or mesh in front of each fan is optional but advisable if the filter will be used around children. While the fans are not powerful enough to cause serious injury, a small object dropped into the enclosure could break one of the fan blades.
The Nukit Tempest comes with a wiring harness for fans that can be “daisy chained” with two 4-pin connectors, as shown. If your fans have a single connector and cannot be daisy-chained, you will need a splitter.
Usually, the fixed part of the fan faces the panel, and the moving part of the fan faces toward the inside of the box to pull air through the side filters, and out of the enclosure. If you are unsure, connect a fan to the DC adapter and test it.
The PC fan screws pass through the fan guard and the enclosure panel, then into the plastic of the fan. Using a Phillips head screwdriver, make sure the screws are inserted straight, or they will damage the fan. Do not over tighten or you will strip the hole.
Ensure any visible logos on the fan face up towards the “UP” label on the panel.
Connect each fan to it's neighbor. This is how the fans should look daisy-chained together.
Find the 5.5mm barrel jack to 4-pin PWM connector.
Find your 12v DC power supply (purchased separately).
Make sure all fans can move freely and are not rubbing against any wires, then attach your 12v DC power supply to the three daisy chained fans.
Because this step involves plugging the DC power supply into mains AC power, this is the only part of the Nukit Tempest assembly that requires supervision for small children.
If you need to troubleshoot, connect each fan individually to the power supply, then add on the next in the "chain".
Find the included zip-ties.
Loosely secure the wires to the fans as shown with the supplied zip ties. Allow a fingers-breadth worth of slack so that no wire is so snug it presses against a spinning fan blade, nor so loose it flops around and can fall into one.
The wires need to run across the top of the fans to keep the sides clear for the filters.
When final adjustments have been made, snug up your zip ties and clip off the excess.
Set the front panel aside and find the top panel.
Repeat the same procedure as you did for the front panel, ensuring all the fan logos are facing in the same direction.
Connect the 12v DC power supply and adapter to the top panel to test it, and then carefully secure the wires with zip-ties.
Find the #6-32 enclosure screws.
Find the bottom panel.
Attach the front panel (with fans) to the bottom panel with two screws as shown. See hole placement on the bottom panel to determine which is the front and which is the back.
Attach the back panel, to the bottom panel in the same way.
Set the enclosure upright.
Find the 4-pin male-to-female extension wire.
Lay the top panel across the front and back panels. Use the 4-pin male-to-female extension wire to connect the top panel fans to the front panel fans.
Connect the four-pin adapter to the IEC-style 5.5mm barrel input jack inside the enclosure.
Then connect the 12v DC power supply to the external IEC-style 5.5mm barrel input jack.
Ensure all six fans power on, and blow outward. If you need to troubleshoot, disconnect the front panel fans, from the top panel fans, and test each separately.
Find the self-adhesive zip-tie pads.
Using the self-adhesive zip-tie pads, neatly secure loose wires to the middle of the enclosure, ensuring the wires will not get caught under the filters when you insert them into the sides.
When satisfied, tighten up the zip-ties, and clip off excess. Do not bend any wires at a sharp angle, just a loose radius as shown.
Make sure there is enough slack in the wire going from the front fans to the top fans for you to easily disconnect them when you remove the top panel.
Make sure no wires hang close enough to any fans to rub or get caught.
Remove the included optional mesh side panels from their protective tube. Place the mesh side panels flat against your 20”x20”x2” furnace filters. If they have been in storage a very long time, you can leave them overnight with weight on top to flatten them out, or go over them with a warm hair drier.
Carefully slide each filter into the enclosure, between the fans and the metal lip, holding the mesh side panel in place as you pull it down. The fit is snug to limit air leakage. The metal mesh on the filter points towards inside the enclosure.
Find #6-32 thumbscrews
Connect the fan wires of the top panel, to the fan wires of the front panel, and secure the top panel with the thumb screws.
You’re ready to go!
Maintenance:
Typically, filters need to be replaced once a year or so. When you change the filters, it's a good time to wash the mesh side panels with warm water and dish soap. The metal enclosure can be cleaned with a damp cloth.