Rev. 2 - More detailed CAD model

Well, I spent some time working on rev 2 of my case design.  I am pretty sure I want to build this design, as I think it will look great and function really well.  anyways, here it is:

So the main part of the case will be a fairly simple box shape, with some rails for feet on the bottom of the tank.   I've made the tank as small as I could, in order to minimize the volume of oil I would need to buy.  This tank should hold around 6 or 7 gallons when its full.

While I was working, I realized that there were probably some better part files I could get off the interwebs to use in my design.  I found the radiator, in the foreground, as well as the attached fans, and the black pump sitting on the floor of the case.

I met with Mr Sauve today, we went over the mid marking period assessment, and we both felt like I was in a good position.  We also started talking about my presentation, for which I would like to bring in the finished product to show off.  Transporting this thing however, will not be easy, but it would be worth it to have as a prop for my presentation.

So in the coming days, I plan to order acrylic sheets and actually get building this beast.  I found a company that will cut acrylic whatever size you want, and whatever thickness you want.

I'm really excited to get this thing off the proverbial ground.

New Case + Monster Update (What I've Been Working On)

Well, I got my case on Tuesday, and spent some time building inside of it.  (tons of pictures start now...)

[Alot of writing at the bottom of this post way down there]

Box...

Case + packing removed

Better than I expected for a cheap case.

 Opened up

Installing motherboard standoffs (Isolate the motherboard's PCB from the metal case)

Board installed

Needed to change the orientation of my heatsink, so...

I needed some alcohol to clean the old paste off.

Nice and clean.

Routed and connected the front panel USB and audio cables

Interior

Powersupply mounted

Graphics card installed, as well as cable management.

And cable management around the back.  Looks pretty messy, but I'll clean it up later probably.

I am still waiting on two more parts to come before I can call this computer finished.  I needed an adapter to let me mount the smaller laptop hard drive I am using.  Because the case is a 'value' oriented case, it didn't have the correct mounts for that drive.  Also, I needed an extension cable for one of the power supply cables.  These two things should get to me tomorrow.

One other thing I did was to move the computer I am actually going to submerge onto the test bench.  This will give me a place to test and validate all of the hardware while I go about designing and building the acrylic parts.  One more thing, I traded 9600 GSOs with a friend.  They are basically the same card, just with different coolers.  This one has a slight problem where the fan will go at 100% speed all the time, even though the card isn't really hot.  The one I had was much quieter.  Anyways, I traded him so he could shut his computer up (this thing gets pretty dang loud - very annoying after a while).  The fan issue won't matter to me as this will eventually be oil cooled, and the fan will barely be spinning anyways.

I also added a much bigger fan to the test bench.  This fan was in the roof of my new build, but it makes a really annoying rattling sound when it is mounted horizontally, which it was in my other case.  Anywho, I took it out, and turns out the spacing on the fan mounts of the tech station were exactly correct for this fan as well, so I mounted it.  I love how ridiculous it looks.  So I'll be testing this computer over the next little while, and giving it some TLC.  After all, I replaced it about five months ago and it's just been collecting dust ever since.

Brings me to my next topic.  I need to figure out a way to get every little bit of dust off each component.  I really want the oil to stay clean, so I need to get all the dust off.  A little blast of compressed air usually does the trick, but this graphics card has some serious dust build up inside of the heatsink and under the plastic shroud.  I may have to disassemble it to clean it.  The rest of the parts should be fine with some air blasts from the old compressor.

Actual things I will be doing to the computer will be minimal, I'm thinking.  It works fine as it is.  But I may wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows 7 which should make hard drive performance much better.  (I can't believe I was using something this darn slow for my main computer...)

Another thing I though of today is that I can apply for a Red $ Gold Grant from IPEI to help fund some parts of my project.  This could potentially include a small SSD for this system to run off of if I can swing it, but that is still a LONG way off.  If I was awarded the grant, it would go toward paying for things like oil and acrylic.

So today I met with Mr. Sauve, and he was able to look up the purchase order from when he ordered acrylic last summer for the school's supply.  He ordered the acrylic from Laird Plastics in Syracuse.  I went to their website, and they have literally 30 different types of acrylic.  I'll call them tomorrow and see if they have any recommendations on specific type to use for my project.

Mr. Sauve also mentioned that the maximum size of acrylic sheet that the tech department's laser cutter can accommodate is 2 ft x 1 ft.  This could mean I need to change my design, although I was thinking about changing it anyways.  Think of the last design I posted as like a 'first revision'.  2nd revision coming soon.

Another thing I need to keep in mind for this 2nd revision is the volume of oil I would need to fill it up to the proper level.  Too much oil and I will be spending a lot more on oil.  Too little oil and it could have a negative impact on cooling performance.

Anywho, that's all for now.  I hope you enjoyed this monster of a post.

Large Update

Well, its been a busy few days, but I have some new stuff to go over.

Today, I drove up to Rochester to get a new graphics card to replace that radeon on that stopped working correctly.  I got a GTX 260 for a very good price.

So this card is a beast: it is much more powerful than those other two cards I had been using before.  Also, i got it basically for a steal off a guy who was moving and didn't want it anymore.  Anyways, this will allow me to more easily move around parts, because I know everything works correctly now.  I'll have to see if I can return that 4830 to Microcenter when I go to Boston in a few weeks.  

Also, I started my acrylic test with a scrap piece of acrylic Mr. Sauve gave me:

On a shelf next to my computers. (Yes, that is a SNES package in the background...)

So, I will let this piece sit for a while, probably two weeks, then see if there are any defects in the acrylic, like softness, small cracks, or anything else.  I really don't know what will happen, mainly because this acrylic is on the thin side.  Most of the thing's I've read have said it should work fine, but I don't know about this particular kind of acrylic.  

Next step for me: keep working on my tank design, and start thinking about actually how I'm going to cut the acrylic piece and put this thing together.

Until next time...

Mentor Meeting 3/14

Today I met with Mr. Sauve about a few things.  First, we discussed how we would go about making sure mineral oil doesn't eat acrylic.  I've found a few sources that claim they work just fine together, with no ill effects.  However, I also have read there are certain typed of mineral oil that would eat acrylic, and other types that will not.  Either way, we thought the only way to know for sure would be to build a small box, fill it up, and let it sit for a few weeks.  Before that can happen, I need to track down some mineral oil around Ithaca.  I have a few places in mind that may have some, so I'll be giving them a call in the next couple of days.  My task for next time we meet is to find a source of mineral oil.  After that, we can start this small scale test.

(no pictures this time...)