thecoldone06
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Mineral Oil Submerged Computer
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angry_geek
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I built one for my mother's office. It's sitting on the receptionist's desk. I'll post some pics later.
dhrandy
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It's nothing new. It's still always cool to see done.
GeeksInKhakis
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my cousin
my cousin built one (following the Puget Sound one's specs) for his senior project. I was the 'technical advisor' and had to sign off on several milestones during the project. It's pretty cool, the funny thing was, you have to circulate the mineral oil or it will get too hot.
my cousin built one (following the Puget Sound one's specs) for his senior project. I was the 'technical advisor' and had to sign off on several milestones during the project. It's pretty cool, the funny thing was, you have to circulate the mineral oil or it will get too hot.
ProTech Support
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After watching that video, I looked for a few more (never saw this done). Yea, it looks sexy as hell, but all that work does not seem to be really worth it. Now if it was bringing a 20-30 degree drop, I can totally see the point, but most of the one's I saw were still hovering around 140 F.
I think I would still try it for fun though, would make a nice display in the store
I think I would still try it for fun though, would make a nice display in the store
dhrandy
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I agree. It would look great in a lobby or as a store display.After watching that video, I looked for a few more (never saw this done). Yea, it looks sexy as hell, but all that work does not seem to be really worth it. Now if it was bringing a 20-30 degree drop, I can totally see the point, but most of the one's I saw were still hovering around 140 F.
I think I would still try it for fun though, would make a nice display in the store
usacvlr
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The oil in your car wouldn't work very well either if it wasn't circulated as well as cooled by the radiator. If anything the mineral oil is going to just reach a natural rest point and then not accumulate any more heat. It's just a large heat sink without a fan. If you don't remove the heat then you have not accomplished anything.
dhrandy
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I don't think normally they have a problem with them overheating. It seem to me that adding the bubble maker would circulate the oil some.
I think the worst part is when you need to replace a part or want to add a component, it's pretty messy.
I think the worst part is when you need to replace a part or want to add a component, it's pretty messy.
Would they?
If they don't get too hot, I imagine they wont?
But they will run much slower I guess, so you would have to mess with the BIOS for sure, just hope the computer doesn't have Phoenix BIOS.
Here is a guy that submerges two hard disks in oil.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUwP3DYxDo&feature=related
Could that work?
The air holes in the hard disks must be protected somehow or dust would get in there. Can that hold the oil out?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUwP3DYxDo&feature=related
Could that work?
The air holes in the hard disks must be protected somehow or dust would get in there. Can that hold the oil out?
SOHO-NZ
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thecoldone06
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When you're watching the video and he is doing the initial test of pouring the oil on the fan by itself, you can see how drastically that fan slows down. I can't imagine that being to good for the fan either.
SOHO-NZ
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It's obvious the whole experiment is more of a gimmick to get them some publicity.
I mean, if the point of the oil bath was to lower the system temperature, wouldn't you leave the PSU out of the bath? - It's just one more thing to heat up the oil.
For this to be effective for lowering temperatures, you need to have a way to cool the oil that has been heated by the system. - It's isn't going to radiate much heat through a fish tank with a lid on it.
And yes, I also think the windings in the fan motors would soon overheat and clap out.
I mean, if the point of the oil bath was to lower the system temperature, wouldn't you leave the PSU out of the bath? - It's just one more thing to heat up the oil.
For this to be effective for lowering temperatures, you need to have a way to cool the oil that has been heated by the system. - It's isn't going to radiate much heat through a fish tank with a lid on it.
And yes, I also think the windings in the fan motors would soon overheat and clap out.
angry_geek
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The promised pics.
Okay, first to address a couple of issues. The fans do run slow, but have not worn out in over a year of use. I left them in because it looks cool to see them turning in oil. Heat is not really an issue as long as you don't try to overclock or run a high end system. I had two old machines, took parts from each to make one good machine, and had a nice computer for the reception desk. CPU temp after 24 hours is around 55c. I have the little skeleton hooked up to an air pump to provide a little circulation. To use this method for premium cooling, you need to install a radiator and circulate the oil. This works very well, and you can see it on the Puget site. Never submerge a hdd! They may run for a little while, but will die a tragic and early death. I still can't figure out why that guy did it on youtube. Distilled water is non-conductive for about 10 minutes. Even impurities in the air will render it conductive very quickly. It also doesn't move heat as well. Mineral oil is the same stuff used to fill electrical transformers hanging on the poles outside your house. I cleaned out Wal-Mart of all their mineral oil in one pint bottles. It's kept in the pharmacy department labeled as natural laxative. Make sure to get the pure oil. It's about $1.50/pint, a lot cheaper than our neighborhood horse doctor. You should have seen the cashier's face when I wheeled that cart up.
It makes a great display unit, and gets a lot of attention from everyone who walks in the office. The number 1 question asked is "Where are the fish?"
Duh! I can't tell you how many times I have to explain that fish don't do well swimming in oil. Anyway, here are the pics:
Okay, first to address a couple of issues. The fans do run slow, but have not worn out in over a year of use. I left them in because it looks cool to see them turning in oil. Heat is not really an issue as long as you don't try to overclock or run a high end system. I had two old machines, took parts from each to make one good machine, and had a nice computer for the reception desk. CPU temp after 24 hours is around 55c. I have the little skeleton hooked up to an air pump to provide a little circulation. To use this method for premium cooling, you need to install a radiator and circulate the oil. This works very well, and you can see it on the Puget site. Never submerge a hdd! They may run for a little while, but will die a tragic and early death. I still can't figure out why that guy did it on youtube. Distilled water is non-conductive for about 10 minutes. Even impurities in the air will render it conductive very quickly. It also doesn't move heat as well. Mineral oil is the same stuff used to fill electrical transformers hanging on the poles outside your house. I cleaned out Wal-Mart of all their mineral oil in one pint bottles. It's kept in the pharmacy department labeled as natural laxative. Make sure to get the pure oil. It's about $1.50/pint, a lot cheaper than our neighborhood horse doctor. You should have seen the cashier's face when I wheeled that cart up.
It makes a great display unit, and gets a lot of attention from everyone who walks in the office. The number 1 question asked is "Where are the fish?" Duh! I can't tell you how many times I have to explain that fish don't do well swimming in oil. Anyway, here are the pics:
