Mineral Oil Submerged Computer

[Markes12344]

Howdy,

Quick question about the submerged computer....

Was wondering if it could be applied to monitors.... either LCD or CRT.

Next week I have to create some visual art for one of my classes at university and thought it be could to have a monitor submerged in oil playing some footage of fishes.

I mean logical would say that mineral oil is not conductive so it should be a problem right?


Esentially yes it sould be fine. the only downside i can see to it is
A- oil moment disrupting clear image.
B- oil going into the gel of the screen. im not to familiar with screens and how they work but my basic understanding is there is a gel (hence when pushed on screen it goes discolored and rippled) and i am thinking the oil may get into the gel over time. so if it is for a class project for about an hour or so, you may get away with having the monitor in the oil.

[Hariharakadan]

Hello everyone. I have been looking over DIY kit and I am considering purchasing it but I have a few questions in regards to getting the "most" out of it.

1) Using heat sinks for all the components useful?

2) Has anyone attempted to focus the oil like they do on this image? http://www.hardcorecomputer.com/Resources/Images/3373.jpg http://www.hardcorecomputer.com/Resources/Images/3374.jpg

SRC: http://www.hardcorecomputer.com/ProductCategoryDetail_catDesktop_productReactor1.a spx

Just curious if that adding pumps and such as the way they do would improve the heating situation any.

3) Is there any need to worry about the thermal paste / heat sinks somehow leeching metals into the oil thus making it conductive?

Sorry if these questions have already been asked.

I don't plan to buy any pre-made computers from "Hardcore Computer" their parts are over priced and when its all said and done a high performance gaming computer is roughly the same price as a micro car that can get 50 miles to the gallon. So I hope this works out.

[ObiQuiet]

1) Using heat sinks for all the components useful?
3) Is there any need to worry about the thermal paste / heat sinks somehow leeching metals into the oil thus making it conductive?


For #1, I don't think you need heat sinks other than for the power supply, CPU and the GPU (video card). The heat transfer to the oil is like a heat sink enveloping all of the other components. So, just those two hot spots benefit.

For #3, I don't know, but I would suggest soaking your paste in a sample of oil for a few weeks to see if it dissolves. Even if it doesn't affect conductivity, the gunk would be worth avoiding -- it could cloud the oil. Instead of the paste, I've just use clamp-on heat sinks and fans to increase oil flow.

-ObiQuiet

[ObiQuiet]

Has anyone used one of these pico PSUs?

http://resources.mini-box.com/online/PWR-PICOPSU-120/PWR-PICOPSU-120-manual-engl.pdf

It's rated for 85C and 120W.

Upside - It would make getting the PSU into the tank much easier. That was the part I spent most time and effort on -- rigging a way to connect it mechanically to the MB so I could move the whole PC as one unit without straining the connectors.

Downside -- the visual effect of having a full-size PSU in the oil is nice, with the heat sink and the large capacitors. I suppose one could take the shell off the power brick.

-ObiQuiet

[ragez0r]

alright.. i wanna dunk my dual core into some oil.. y not ?

this is what ive got done so far..

ripped out the guts of my computer and put em into a perfect sized aquarium.. cleaned off the dust might i add... got the switch... even bought an ultraviolet lightbulb :p


now mineral oil is an issue... cannot find any store in Montreal Canada that sells large quantities of this love juice.. ive tried Costco (the obvious choice), walmart, pharmacies, canadian tire and all im getting are funny looks.

so my next choice is baby oil...i can probably go to 2-3 stores and get at least 20 liters of baby oil.. so my question is this.. with all these things inside baby oil.. should i b concerned ? like aloe vera... vitamin E.. and secondly.. can i mix brands of baby oil ?

another question is... why do some people put silicon on the motherboards ?? seen this in some youtube vids.. should i be doing that as well ??

any help would be appreciated

[ragez0r]

or can i use vegetable oil instead ? its cheaper and easier to find

[ObiQuiet]

cannot find any store in Montreal Canada that sells large quantities

Order from this company: http://www.steoil.com/ Or, try a veterinary supplier catering to horses.
Will probably be cheaper per liter than small-quantities of baby oil.

Would not recommend vegetable oil -- it goes bad in time.

[ragez0r]

Order from this company: http://www.steoil.com/ Or, try a veterinary supplier catering to horses.
Will probably be cheaper per liter than small-quantities of baby oil.

Would not recommend vegetable oil -- it goes bad in time.

i tried steoil.. it does not ship to Canada im afraid... also i live in the city.. no idea where i can find a horse ranch ?? but anyhoo i ordered from ebay.. something called
"Mineral Oil Pure Formulary Grade 70 Weight 35 Lb Pack"

please someone tell me that it wasnt a mistake ...

high school science somewhat escapes me now...

[ragez0r]

bump

[Shivers]

Hey ragez0r. I happen to live in Montreal as well, and built my own submerged computer a little over a year ago (and it still runs great, facebook.com/album.php?aid=236767&id=677425653&l=064a50a48d (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=236767&id=677425653&l=064a50a48d)). I looked all over to find some oil, even tried going to a horse vet to get some (they use it to treat constipation & impaction), but no one had the ~25 liters I needed. I ended up finding it at Pharmaprix! I bought baby oil (which is just mineral oil), made sure to the get unscented, no vitamin e, no anything extra, and had the manager order me 45 bottles. It took a couple of days, but it was worth it. I bought them when they were on sale for 99¢ each, so it only came to about $50 with tax. That's probably your best bet.

The stuff you got off of ebay is probably fine too, if you make sure that the only ingredient is mineral oil, and that you have enough.

[{UGC}XBOND]

hey guys, xbond here, here are my pics of my tank ,yes it cracked i have no clue why it cracked going to rebuild !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[trusselo]

i was thinking about this long before i found this fourm, i have some thoughts regarding different ideas and would love to hear your feedback.

1st why not use distilled water with water cooling additives. the additives and distilled water are NOT conductive! also water is lighter in weight than oil and wont crack open weak acrillic aquariums. and doesnt eat rubber/plastic. the water based solution would also be easier for the pumps to handle by being more viscous and would disperse heat faster. the downside would be refilling due to evaporation and keeping it non conductive.

2nd regarding heat dispursion, the pumps are a good idea to get the liquid (and heat) moving around but why not have the pumps "blow" cooled liquid directly onto the chips and/or heatsink? instead of just moving the liquid around, blow it at what needs the cooling.

3rd why not leave the power supply out? it adds ALOT of heat to the tank..
OR anyone think of using a mini wine fridge to cool a resovoir for the pumps?

[ObiQuiet]

1st why not use distilled water with water cooling additives.
IF you can make this work with water, I for one would love to hear about it. I'm skeptical, though, about the "not conductive" part.

2nd why not have the pumps "blow" cooled liquid directly onto the chips and/or heatsink?
No reason not to, though it does not appear to be necessary.

3rd why not leave the power supply out?
Again, no reason not to, unless one likes the look of having it in there. See an earlier post I did for "power brick" type PSUs that could make this easier in terms of running the wires.

-ObiQuiet

[ObiQuiet]

hey guys, xbond here, here are my pics of my tank ,yes it cracked i have no clue why it cracked going to rebuild !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's a very nice-looking assembly! Have fun with the rebuild!

-ObiQuiet

[menasan]

so, Im very curios at to the sound levels of this type of rig. assuming that you didnt have a pump, and submerged your power supply, it would be virtually quite?

between that ant the oc capabilities, i must try


great thread, and great build.

[Shivers]

1st why not use distilled water with water cooling additives. the additives and distilled water are NOT conductive! also water is lighter in weight than oil and wont crack open weak acrillic aquariums. and doesnt eat rubber/plastic. the water based solution would also be easier for the pumps to handle by being more viscous and would disperse heat faster. the downside would be refilling due to evaporation and keeping it non conductive.
There's a BIG problem with this idea. That is that while pure distilled water is not a conductor, you won't be able to keep the water pure for very long. As soon as it mixes with any dust on the computer, inside the case, or simply from the air over time, that's the end of that project. Pure distlled water doesn't conduct, but it doesn't take much for it to become impure once again. Also, mineral oil is actually slightly less heavy than water for the same volume. Water is 1 g/mL, and mineral oil is about 0.9 g/mL. And as for eat through plastic, I've been running my oil computer for over a year now, and none of the plastic cabling has degraded in any way.


2nd regarding heat dispursion, the pumps are a good idea to get the liquid (and heat) moving around but why not have the pumps "blow" cooled liquid directly onto the chips and/or heatsink? instead of just moving the liquid around, blow it at what needs the cooling.
Of course! My setup has the cool air pumped back in right over the CPU (no heatsink or fan), and warm oil sucked out on the other side of the tank (simply to keep the oil moving around).


3rd why not leave the power supply out? it adds ALOT of heat to the tank..
You could, but it's annoying to have to put it somewhere otherwise. It's easier to put in if you remove the entire casing though. Also, it doesn't create nearly as much heat as the video card or CPU do.


OR anyone think of using a mini wine fridge to cool a resovoir for the pumps?
Yes, it's been discussed before, but it won't work, because fridges are meant to keep things at a stable cool temperature, and works under the assumption that the things inside aren't constantly generating heat. Your mini wine fridge will have to be cooling 100% of the time to try to keep the temperature down, and the motor will quickly die out.

[vzhik777]

Hello.
In advance I am sorry for the English because itself from Russia and has taken advantage of the translator.
Several months ago I for the first time have seen your videoclip on http://mobbit.info/item/2007/5/15/komp-uter-v-akvariyme-na-zhidkom-maslyanom-ohlazhdenii-video and ill.
Now in searches of a suitable liquid for assembly of such computer in an aquarium.
And at me one most important question: than mineral oil is worse or better some synthetic oil?
I think to apply such oil Transformer oil Пента®-ТРМС-110 http://www.penta-91.ru/transformer-oil.htm

Transformer oil Пента®-ТРМС-110

Transformer oil Пента®-ТРМС-110 - heat-resistant silicon-organic a liquid having a number of advantages before mineral oils:
Current-carrying carbon particles are not formed at electric breakdown and short circuit-flash,
Smaller dependence of viscosity on temperature
Higher stability to oxidation,
Smaller allocation of heat at burning,
, etc.

Transformer oil Пента®-ТРМС-110 chemically inertly, compatibly with many constructional materials. It is explosion-proof. Difficultly combustible. Products of burning do not contain poisonous substances.

Transformer oil Пента®-ТРМС-110 is not toxic, does not contain depressants, antioxidants, thermal stabilizers and other dangerous and toxic components. At hit on a ground in due course decays on sand, carbonic gas and water. At hit in an organism does not collect and does not render harmful influence.

Appearance A transparent oily liquid
Viscosity at 25°C - 50 mm 2/with
Viscosity at 50°C - 30 mm 2/with
Density at 25°C - 0,957 gram of/sm3
Factor of volumetric expansion at 25°C - 9,4*10-4 sm of 3/sm 3 * C
Mechanical impurity - are absent
Factor of refraction at 25°C - 1,401
Penetrative pressure - 50000 volt/2,5 mm
Tangent of a corner of dielectric losses at 25°C - <0,1 %
Acid number (mg KOH/г) <0,01
Volumetric specific resistance at 25°C > 1014 ohm *см
Dielectric permeability at 25°C, 100-1000000 Hz 2,7
Specific thermal capacity 1,46 Joules / гр *К
Heat conductivity at 50°C 0,15 watt/К*м
Temperature of hardening <-50°C
Temperature of flash in the open boiler > 300°C
Temperature of ignition 350°C

Like a normal liquid for a computer in an aquarium?
The only thing, that is not pleasant liquid all the same to me is has little bit yellowish shade and a small smell.

And these parameters in an apartment all the same are important: yellowness will give out itself for a liquid which differs from water. And a smell though it too hardly уловимый, but at the closed windows in the winter even with normally working ventilation all the same will stir.

As in this plan mineral oil behaves. And in general, what you will recommend to me, and that I have already got confused in a choice.

By the way, has interested this decision:
http://www.ixbt.com/news/all/index.shtml?12/64/03
http://www.realwire.com/release_detail.asp?ReleaseID=14283
http://gadgetblips.dailyradar.com/video/liquid-cooled-server-rack/

Somebody knows, what liquid is used?

In advance all thanks for answers and the help.
Once again I am sorry for my bad knowledge of English language.
Alexey. Kazan.

[menasan]

hahah i pulled the trigger

http://www.tank-depot.com/productimages/todd-wh-tank.jpg

im going to modify an 11 gallon rv fresh water tank.

[kevanesh]

grats!

but we want pics :compow

hahah i pulled the trigger...im going to modify an 11 gallon rv fresh water tank.

[menasan]

parts gathering right now...


so as i understand... the pumps made for water cooling, will not work inside the oil? im assuming that they need air? or can i submerge them as well even though it doesnt specify them as "wet"?

like this one

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_201&products_id=25707

[Pillarman19]

I read about the murky oil in version 1. Have you considered that this might be caused by the thermal paste?

[PCC-Jon]

Yes, but we washed the rocks before putting them in the V2 system, and it has been crystal clear since the day we filled it.

[menasan]

so it looks like i was wrong, i can use a pump meant for water cooling inside the oil.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/gfx/submersion/gallery/Oct2008/hard_drive.jpg

[menasan]

has anyone looked into automotive fuel pumps? those are 12v ;p