fridge PC idea

nemaste · 07-07-2002, 01:20 AM

i was thinking about the possibilities of making a "fridge PC". not in the already been done PC in a freezer sense, but i wanted to keep all the components, including the PSU, completely sealed & well insulated in a cooled case.

i was thinking a freon sys could cool the inside quietly & a good seal would keep condensation (or hopefully ice) out, but maybe i'm wrong. if it could be pulled off, everything (literally) would be kept downright cold & the noise of the internal fans would be trapped by the case (except removable drives would need to be mounted outside, since they would obviously expose the insides to humidity evils).

as i'm picturing it: the same concept as the somwhat common flourinet submerged PC, except the internal fluid is air.

any thoughts on if this is feasible? better yet, how would you design this concept?

WebMasta33 · 07-07-2002, 03:14 AM

Ice isn't too much of a problem, until the ice starts to melt

bigben2k · 07-07-2002, 01:56 PM

It's feasible, but then problem is that it's only the equivalent of dropping your ambient temp by about 20 deg C, so you still have to have an active CPU heatsink, which defeats the purpose somewhat.

An HSF cpu cooler alone should work well under those circumstances. Everything else could be otherwise passively cooled.

Condensation is a possibility, but with some basic precautions, it can be avoided. Keeping the fridge closed at all times is a good step.

On second thought... that fridge might have a defrost cycle, in which case the ambient temp would rise quickly to 20C, and possibly higher. This is not bad, but it would give you a computer that performs differently depending on which cycle the fridge is.

I wouldn't recomend it.

Hallis · 07-09-2002, 04:52 AM

niether would i. the best use for a fridge when related to cooling i would say would be to use water cooling put the res in there alone. But make the res a little larger than usual so the water has time to cool before it is pumped back in to the system. Else you defeat the purpose all together.

|PuNiSh3R| · 08-12-2002, 09:39 AM

Well.. as an expirenced phase changer. heh. I'm here to stomp on all of your ideas!! MUWAHAH!!

It will work.

Put the evaporator of the phase change system inside of the case.. or build an air channel in the case.

Basically with an air channel, You would cut a hole in the case and have aluminum vent tubing and a fan carry the air inside the case out to the evaporator box.. then blow the air across the evaporator and then back into the case. All moisture in the case will build up on the evaporator. Just take the damn thermostat off of the compressor so it doesn't shut off when it's not supposed to.. or put the thermostat to full power..

Either way you do it.. you have to have the humidity in the case go over the evaporator.. this way it will just freeze up on it..

For the side of the case.. make it an acrylic window.. that way you can see in.. use silicon sealant to seal everything up . you can keep your CD-roms and all in.. just use the silicon sealent.. take the front bezel of your case off and insulate the whole front.. using Rubatex insulation tape from home depot.. do this to ALL of the metal parts of your case along with any vent tubing you use if you decide to use the air channel I talked about. Once all of the metal in the case that contacts the outside is insulated (not like the hard drive bay.. doesn't need to be insulated.. )

You are ready to roll.. just make sure there are no spots for air to get in.. or large quanitities.. you won't be able to make the thing so air tight that you could put it in a vacuum.. but if you COULD make it so air tight that you could even vacuum it.. well sh!t.. u'd have one hella system. I was going to do this myself but since I am using the evaporator as a water chiller.. I wouldn't of had enough power left to cool my machine as well. Since you are just using the evaporator to cool air.. it will work fine.

I'd suggest that you just build your own phase change system. Get a mini frige and yank the compressor and cap tube.. and you are half way done.

nemaste · 08-16-2002, 10:37 AM

thanks for the good advice |PuNiSh3R|! i was thinking it was feasible too. the issue with small air leaks is all but removed with an evaporator since, as you stated, the humidity contamination will freeze on it. i would certainly grab the phase-change system off of a "dorm-fridge" as you recommended. maybe the well insulated fridge casing itself can also be used (just bolt the door shut & mount a double-pane window in it). one issue that may come up with this config is the duty cycle of the compressor. i'm not sure about bypassing the thermostat altogether, since the 100% duty cycle could trash the compressor in short time. i was thinking that the inside would have enough "cooling mass" (specific heat) to keep the system cool during off cycles. maybe a circulating fan can be left on all the time to even out the component temperature differences between cycles & the thermostat could be set to keep the air at a somewhat constant temp. how does that sound |PuNiSh3R|? any thoughts from experienced & knowledgeable phase-change ppl would help.

07-07-2002, 01:20 AM	#1
nemaste Cooling Neophyte Join Date: May 2002 Location: CA Posts: 78	fridge PC idea i was thinking about the possibilities of making a "fridge PC". not in the already been done PC in a freezer sense, but i wanted to keep all the components, including the PSU, completely sealed & well insulated in a cooled case. i was thinking a freon sys could cool the inside quietly & a good seal would keep condensation (or hopefully ice) out, but maybe i'm wrong. if it could be pulled off, everything (literally) would be kept downright cold & the noise of the internal fans would be trapped by the case (except removable drives would need to be mounted outside, since they would obviously expose the insides to humidity evils). as i'm picturing it: the same concept as the somwhat common flourinet submerged PC, except the internal fluid is air. any thoughts on if this is feasible? better yet, how would you design this concept? __________________ StrongShockModz

07-07-2002, 03:14 AM	#2
WebMasta33 Cooling Savant Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Nebraska Posts: 526	Ice isn't too much of a problem, until the ice starts to melt __________________ ========== --Soyo KT333 DRAGON Ultra (Platinum Edition) --AMD 1.4 @ 1.54 (11x) --768mb of PC2100 (@140FSB) --Asus v8200 GeForce3 @ 210/490 --Maxtor 40gb Quiet + 2 IBM 40gb 60GXPs (removable) + 8gb WD --Audigy --Maze 3, DD Gf3 block, 2x BIX, Eheim1250 ===========

07-07-2002, 01:56 PM	#3
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	It's feasible, but then problem is that it's only the equivalent of dropping your ambient temp by about 20 deg C, so you still have to have an active CPU heatsink, which defeats the purpose somewhat. An HSF cpu cooler alone should work well under those circumstances. Everything else could be otherwise passively cooled. Condensation is a possibility, but with some basic precautions, it can be avoided. Keeping the fridge closed at all times is a good step. On second thought... that fridge might have a defrost cycle, in which case the ambient temp would rise quickly to 20C, and possibly higher. This is not bad, but it would give you a computer that performs differently depending on which cycle the fridge is. I wouldn't recomend it. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

08-16-2002, 10:37 AM	#6
nemaste Cooling Neophyte Join Date: May 2002 Location: CA Posts: 78	thanks for the good advice \|PuNiSh3R\|! i was thinking it was feasible too. the issue with small air leaks is all but removed with an evaporator since, as you stated, the humidity contamination will freeze on it. i would certainly grab the phase-change system off of a "dorm-fridge" as you recommended. maybe the well insulated fridge casing itself can also be used (just bolt the door shut & mount a double-pane window in it). one issue that may come up with this config is the duty cycle of the compressor. i'm not sure about bypassing the thermostat altogether, since the 100% duty cycle could trash the compressor in short time. i was thinking that the inside would have enough "cooling mass" (specific heat) to keep the system cool during off cycles. maybe a circulating fan can be left on all the time to even out the component temperature differences between cycles & the thermostat could be set to keep the air at a somewhat constant temp. how does that sound \|PuNiSh3R\|? any thoughts from experienced & knowledgeable phase-change ppl would help. __________________ StrongShockModz

07-09-2002, 04:52 AM	#4
Hallis Cooling Savant Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 469	niether would i. the best use for a fridge when related to cooling i would say would be to use water cooling put the res in there alone. But make the res a little larger than usual so the water has time to cool before it is pumped back in to the system. Else you defeat the purpose all together.

08-12-2002, 09:39 AM	#5
\|PuNiSh3R\| Foo's Been Banned Join Date: May 2002 Location: Pennsyltucky Posts: 255	Well.. as an expirenced phase changer. heh. I'm here to stomp on all of your ideas!! MUWAHAH!! It will work. Put the evaporator of the phase change system inside of the case.. or build an air channel in the case. Basically with an air channel, You would cut a hole in the case and have aluminum vent tubing and a fan carry the air inside the case out to the evaporator box.. then blow the air across the evaporator and then back into the case. All moisture in the case will build up on the evaporator. Just take the damn thermostat off of the compressor so it doesn't shut off when it's not supposed to.. or put the thermostat to full power.. Either way you do it.. you have to have the humidity in the case go over the evaporator.. this way it will just freeze up on it.. For the side of the case.. make it an acrylic window.. that way you can see in.. use silicon sealant to seal everything up . you can keep your CD-roms and all in.. just use the silicon sealent.. take the front bezel of your case off and insulate the whole front.. using Rubatex insulation tape from home depot.. do this to ALL of the metal parts of your case along with any vent tubing you use if you decide to use the air channel I talked about. Once all of the metal in the case that contacts the outside is insulated (not like the hard drive bay.. doesn't need to be insulated.. ) You are ready to roll.. just make sure there are no spots for air to get in.. or large quanitities.. you won't be able to make the thing so air tight that you could put it in a vacuum.. but if you COULD make it so air tight that you could even vacuum it.. well sh!t.. u'd have one hella system. I was going to do this myself but since I am using the evaporator as a water chiller.. I wouldn't of had enough power left to cool my machine as well. Since you are just using the evaporator to cool air.. it will work fine. I'd suggest that you just build your own phase change system. Get a mini frige and yank the compressor and cap tube.. and you are half way done.

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