TEC project get started here
TEC project get started here
To keep the reservoir warm, I'm going to put foam insulation on it first, and maybe add some clay on top if it gets cold. There are easy fittings now that let me turn from G1/4 to soft copper pipe. The copper line will also be wrapped in clay. Here is a link for the Koolance nozzle you might want to use: http://www.performance-pcs.com/new-koola...m-1-2.html
power usage is super high lol, sure, I'm using 5 power supplies total for this build: one big 1250W PSU goes to the motherboard and video cards, another 600W handles the four water pumps along with fans, controllers, sensors, and flow meters. Then there are three of those 12V 45A PSUs going to the TECs, so that's a lot of power needed overall.
Oh my god PC!!! That is WAY more power than you need. Why are you worried about rad box mobility? It doesn't matter if you take this pc to LANs unless you own a flatbed truck AND a forklift! XD I was thinking about the clay on the tubing. If that tubing moves even a tiny bit, there will be a gap, right? Are you going to insulate the mobo anyway? I saw the vacuum pump and thought it looked cool (get it?) but what if something leaks or moisture gets in? Could that cause a problem? This is really awesome, please keep updating this thread too! It's something I doubt anyone has been crazy or devoted enough to do before. I can't wait to see how it goes. Good luck!
thanks, but really everything i'm doing is just a simple copy of an industrial vacuum chamber for testing electronics. the main difference is that these chambers get hot too, and they cost much more money. if i was only using clay to seal it, there would be a huge chance of leaking, but i used silicon sealant and flex spray on rubber to make sure everything is sealed tight. once i figure out how thick the clay needs to be to stop condensation or freezing on the cold parts, i will wrap it in plastic wrap and coat it with flex seal so all those pieces become one solid unit. then next i'm going to build a submarine from an old truck using just flex spray :lol:
here are some problems I hit while testing this setup: cold coolant works well on hot parts, but rubber seals get stiff when it gets cold and crack easily, which causes leaks. to fix this, I did four things: first, I swapped all rubber O-rings for ones rated down to -65C; second, I used gas line Teflon tape on every connection; third, I added pipe thread sealant everywhere; fourth, once the connection was tight, I wiped it clean with a Q-tip and some alcohol so I could apply gasket sealant rated for -65C at the seam. yeah, that's a little extra, but I don't want leaks. freezing blocks isn't really an issue for the coolant inside the system, but when the system is turned off, all that ice melts into water and creates puddles under the blocks. during testing, I used a pie pan to catch the water, but for my rig, I am using clay to stop the ice from forming in the first place.
What kind of cool temperatures are you seeing? I guess you probably haven't plugged in any gadgets yet, but have you hit the limit of your cooling system (sorry for my bad words choice, by this I mean: what is the coldest temp you've ever gotten where it can't go colder)? Again, sorry, but in my defense all my classes are in italian 😀 . Anyway, since you are on the testing phase and you clearly don't care about power, why not put a dehumidifier in your workshop so there won't be too much ice buildup while testing? This is cool, I'm looking forward to seeing the projects finished.
I have used so many fittings for this project. The good news is my box of spare parts is basically empty now. The bad part is that I still need around $500 in fittings to finish it off. They really drive me crazy with the price on those fittings. Once I'm done, I'll do a cost breakdown for you, but tell you straight up, it's way too expensive. By the time this rig is finished, three years will have passed since I started saving and buying parts for it.
I am using these TECs and they show a 70C gap between what it's doing right now and where it wants to be. That means it can drop temperatures by 70 degrees from the room temperature. When I just use the water with nothing else running, it gets down to -35C, which is very cold. Even when the CPU is on and making heat for the water loop, one of these TECs kept the water at 0C while the CPU was at 38C under load, especially when the clock went up to 5Ghz. I stopped testing there because I decided to build out a full system instead of just checking that one setup.
You're adding two more TECs to those numbers right? Wow. That means you can cool down to about -25 degrees when nothing is moving around, depending on the room temperature (I'm guessing you sit in a 25-degree room). What kind of coolant are you using, I read anti-freeze, but what brand exactly? How's the clay coming along, because I bet it will look funny when you're done (did you get that rainbow like you linked, or just one color?). Great job on this build, this is really interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the benchmarks and finished setup. Are you going to do anything for cosmetics, like a custom paint job or something? --Update-- Just looked at your plan again, why can't you run your peltiers at full wattage? You have amps to spare. I figure (please remember I'm noob at electronics and you build satellites so I know you have a perfectly good reason, or my math is wrong), but couldn't you run the peltiers at their max wattage and still have a lot of room for safety? And I remember you suggested giving a 25% safety margin, but you have a 55% margin. Is it closer to the highest efficiency point of the power supplies (I know they reach their efficiency rating at 80% load, but I don't know how much it fluctuates based on load)? Have I just done my math wrong?
no, you are right. PS for the TEC's are too powerful, I don't like to run my PS at full load capacity. Is it overkill? maybe. The TECs work on 16V and reach their max ability with 26A. At 12V they only get about three-fourths of that max power down to 19A. Also, I hope the TEC won't burn out quickly at this voltage setting.