Insulating
 

Ive just got all the stuff i need to get my h2o sys together, homemade block, 120W pelt, psu, radiator, pump and hoses etc. etc.
This will hopefully keep my duron nice and cool to cross that damn 1GHz line :)
If things turn out the way i want them, i will start putting the stuff in my case tomorrow (ive run the h2o setup before, all i need to do is get it ready for the pelt.).
But there is one thing that bothers me, the insulation process.
Since i dont have a lot of money i dont feel good about wrapping the mainbord in silicon thus voiding the warranty.
Someone told me that vaseline can be used instead of silicon, which would be great if it worked, with a little will i should be able to clean up the vaseline in case something goes wrong.

This turned out a bit longer then expected, but the question is: Can vaseline be used instead of silicon?

Personally I wouldn't do it. The vasoline could "congeal" under the cold of the TEC which might case air pockets to open up. Also it could drip or slowly flow off of the socket once again opening up air pockets. It won't seal like silicone will. Dude you may want to consider exactly what you're doing here. Adding a TEC to a system is NOT something to take lightly. Honestly if you're not willing to accept the fact that there is a high probability you may fry your CPU or your board with this TEC I would highly suggest you not do it. As fun and as exciting as using a TEC can be it is very dangerous, and accidents do happen no matter how carefull you are, trust me on this ;)

Using Vas. for the pins of the CPU is ok, in MOST cases the pins will never become cold enough to make Vas. do anything adverse. Silicone is ok except for that it will harden up and you will never get your CPU out of the socket after you put it in.

For holding insulation around the CPU or insulation IN the socket, Silicone is the only way to go. But for the pins inthe socket and the pin interface surface, Vas works fine. :cool:

Yea, im fully aware of the probability that something will go wrong, it happend to a friend whos system looked very well-insulated. Suddenly his machine just died, and both the mainboard and cpu never worked again.
And about the vas, that was exactly what i thought to myself when i was told it could be used instead of silicone, i just wanted to get it confirmed from someone with a little more experience then myself.
Well, if sili is the only way to go, i will ofcourse use it :)
(And vas in the pinholes, i dont want to sit with a duron 700 too long :) )
Thanks for the help!

[ 10-26-2001: Message edited by: DaViruz ]

you don't really need silicone inside the socket if you put a compressable piece of neoprene and have the bottom covered w/ conformal coating.
-kev

I'm using vaseline right now, and it is working perfectly. It stays were I have put it, and that's all it has to do :).

I've read that vaseline can corrode PCBs, this would be a bad thing to do to your mobo / cpu.

i heard somewhere that dielectric (sp?) grease was best... anyone know what that is/where I can get some?

Autozone, my favorite computer parts store :D It is Permatex Di-Electric "spank plug boot" grease. It can be hard to find, just ask someone for spark plug boot grease and they should be able to hook you up.

How does that grease do at low temperatures though? It is made for high temps. If it freezes and then contracts, it could leave cracks for humidity to sneak in.

not from what I've seen Brians. I use it on my current TEC rig. I actually did some testing with a little di-electric greese smeared on the cold plate while testing the system outside of my rig. Frost formed on the coldplate everywhere except where I has used the di-electric grease. The grease got cold, but didn't discolor or have any different properties than when it was at room temp.

BTW, I liked your article on fan speed controlers, the power occilation circut is a great idea!!

Whats the best way to seal around the pelt sandwitched between the block and the plate?