This Instructable will document how to build an external liquid cooling system for a computer based around an automotive heater core. This Instructable is really more of a guide than a set of instructions to create a duplicate system. Make yours as flashy or utilitarian as you desire.
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Signing UpStep 1: Gather materials and plan!
First, a short disclaimer. I am not responsible for any damage you do to yourself, others, or your computer or other property if you choose to attempt this project. If you are unsure about building your own system there are plenty of kits and all-in-one closed loop coolers out there that may be more suited to you. If you have some level of DIY experience, are comfortable with taking the life of your computer into your own hands, and want a liquid cooling system that stands out, this is the project for you.
To build a liquid cooling system you will need:
*A radiator of some sort. I used a heater core. specifically, one meant for a 1977 Bonneville with A/C. You can use pretty much any other type of radiator or heater core, but my recomendation is to stay away from the aluminum ones. copper or brass only is the way to go. having mixed metals in the loop can cause galvanic corrosion. the purpose built radiators commonly available at stores like frozencpu or xoxide are great too but expensive. heater cores are able to work as well or better and only cost 25 dollars or so.
* A pump. I used the danger den 800L/hr model. other pumps will work but keepin mind flow rates and noise. This pump pushes a lot of water almost silently, so its worth the money that I paid for it.
* wood. I used 1/2" birch plywood. this is great if you are going to stain or paint it black like I did, but solid wood would also be nice.
*fans. I used 4 cooler master r4 120mm fans. they probably are not near the 90cfm they are rated for, but they still push a good amount of air, and are relatively quiet. I used 4 so pricey fans will definitely add up. these are available for about 7 bucks each if you shop wisely. 120mm fans push the best air vs noise ratio, plus they are ideally suited for the size of my heater core.
* A reservoir. Mine is made out of a piece of clear PVC. Use your imagination, I am sure there are lots of other things that could be used as a reservoir, I just can't justify spending 40 bucks on a plastic container.
*hose barbs, vinyl tubing. I used 3/8" ID tubing, but half inch works well too and increases flow rate.
*assorted screws, bolts, scrap aluminum pieces, switches, connectors, leds, etc. you can personalize your system any way you like. I will probably be adding some UV leds to make the coolant reservoir glow, but the sky is the limit here.
Once you have gathered your Materials, its time to plan out the dimensions and structure of your enclosure. I decided four fans in a Push/pull configuration would afford the maximum airflow through my radiator. a separator divides the box into the "wind tunnel" section and the pump/ power section. a slight groove in the box retains the radiator. If you decide on only two fans, they seem to be more effective at pulling air through the radiator than pushing it. perhaps placing the radiator near a large vent and four fans pulling air through the radiator and out of the box would be more effective, or two smaller radiators mounted in the ends of the box with four fans exhausting air out of the box. The advantage of my setup is I can selectively turn off a pair of my fans. Once all of the details have been ironed out, begin cutting the wood according to your plans.
To build a liquid cooling system you will need:
*A radiator of some sort. I used a heater core. specifically, one meant for a 1977 Bonneville with A/C. You can use pretty much any other type of radiator or heater core, but my recomendation is to stay away from the aluminum ones. copper or brass only is the way to go. having mixed metals in the loop can cause galvanic corrosion. the purpose built radiators commonly available at stores like frozencpu or xoxide are great too but expensive. heater cores are able to work as well or better and only cost 25 dollars or so.
* A pump. I used the danger den 800L/hr model. other pumps will work but keepin mind flow rates and noise. This pump pushes a lot of water almost silently, so its worth the money that I paid for it.
* wood. I used 1/2" birch plywood. this is great if you are going to stain or paint it black like I did, but solid wood would also be nice.
*fans. I used 4 cooler master r4 120mm fans. they probably are not near the 90cfm they are rated for, but they still push a good amount of air, and are relatively quiet. I used 4 so pricey fans will definitely add up. these are available for about 7 bucks each if you shop wisely. 120mm fans push the best air vs noise ratio, plus they are ideally suited for the size of my heater core.
* A reservoir. Mine is made out of a piece of clear PVC. Use your imagination, I am sure there are lots of other things that could be used as a reservoir, I just can't justify spending 40 bucks on a plastic container.
*hose barbs, vinyl tubing. I used 3/8" ID tubing, but half inch works well too and increases flow rate.
*assorted screws, bolts, scrap aluminum pieces, switches, connectors, leds, etc. you can personalize your system any way you like. I will probably be adding some UV leds to make the coolant reservoir glow, but the sky is the limit here.
Once you have gathered your Materials, its time to plan out the dimensions and structure of your enclosure. I decided four fans in a Push/pull configuration would afford the maximum airflow through my radiator. a separator divides the box into the "wind tunnel" section and the pump/ power section. a slight groove in the box retains the radiator. If you decide on only two fans, they seem to be more effective at pulling air through the radiator than pushing it. perhaps placing the radiator near a large vent and four fans pulling air through the radiator and out of the box would be more effective, or two smaller radiators mounted in the ends of the box with four fans exhausting air out of the box. The advantage of my setup is I can selectively turn off a pair of my fans. Once all of the details have been ironed out, begin cutting the wood according to your plans.
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it makes a sacrificial anode and eats the zinc instead of anything important that and one of those water additives like reline, royal purple work awesome on cars and bikes so i see no issue it could cause with pc's myself
aside from that you could also swap the heater core for a Oil cooler available from summit jegs or other sources for maybe about 30-40$(or scour some junkyards, or e-bay ) and also get a slimmer package with many sizes available up-to something like 10-12"X 20-24" they also come with usually 3/8
i would probably take off the fittings for the inlet side off offering full 1/2 flow and 3/8 outlet.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-4110
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-13212/?rtype=10
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-3812/?rtype=10
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-3826/
i would use one like above, i would use a multi pass tube fin type as opposed to the wide open ones that have 1 pass with many rows.connected parallel
tubing To make it easier to interface with pumps and hardware
honestly probably build one with all 1/2 tube with the radiator being the only restriction given the choice.
Water is superior to oil for liquid cooling loops because water is both a better heat conductor and has a substantially higher specific heat. water is 4.19 Kj/Kg*k while most oils are only about 1.8 Kj/Kg*K. This means that it takes more than twice the energy to raise a mass of water one degree as it does to raise the same mass of oil one degree. This is good in a liquid cooling system because the water can transfer more heat at once, and will not approach its maximum heat carrying capacity quickly even if you run it through several water blocks. interestingly, both propylene glycol and ethylene glycol (components of antifreeze) have a substantially lower specific heat than water as well, around 2.5 Kj/Kg*K, but I don't think its hurt my system any.
As for expansion of the liquid, I never really thought about it when I was building it, but now I'm thinking I probably should have because when I turned off the fans to see how quickly the coolant would heat up I saw that once it was pretty warm there was about a drop of coolant that had leaked out of the threads where the barbs screw into the reservoir... I guess I need to tighten them and leave a small bubble of air in the reservoir for some expansion room.
Oil would in fact, based on your numbers, be better for cooling. Think about it, it takes 2x as much energy to raise xL of water 1F than oil, meaning that water's an INSULATOR. The same concept can be said about metal heat sinks; it takes much more energy to raise the temperature of steel compared to aluminum, aluminum's a conductor, you want it to PULL heat away from your processor :)
"cmon! cmon! I've been waiting for this Itunes update for..."
#phssssss#
'What was that?..."
#crackle hiss fizz#
"Oh no."
#WOOMPH#
"0.o my PC is on fire"
Nice idea though
nice cooler dude
Keep them coming.
Here's what I do when my computer needs water cooling:
1. Unplug it. (This is key.)
2. Fill up the bathtub with cold water. (The coldest water is best.)
3. Dunk that sucker right in the tub. (Several dunkings is better than one.)
This procedure cools it right down, especially on a hot summer day. I'm thinking I should expand this approach into an 'ible.
Note: Always allow at least 24 hours and possibly a week of dry time before restarting.
Now, straight distilled water works great, no need to really add anything to it for heat transfer properties but you will need something to stop bacteria growth that will reduce it's heat transferring ability and clog up and slow down water movement.
However there are the performance coolants for cars, some people argue that they are only designed to boil at a higher temp, so the temperatures your computer will reach the system will suffer from usage of such chemicals, other people claim to have gotten good results.
So long story short, I have seen all kinds of math, science, and experience thrown around to say yes and no to the question. I usually just stick with distilled or better yet de-ionized water (as it doesn't transfer electricity, at first, but eventually picks up ions and becomes conductive) with something to stop growth in the water, and usually for fun some sort of dye. What I currently have looks almost clear normally, but under a black light glows blue.
So my recommendation is go with whatever sounds best to you, just make sure crap won't grow in your system.
http://www.redlineoil.com.au/product-information.asp#waterwetter
It is great stuff. Makes the system run cooler. I use it in my BMW.
It protects against corrosion of every metal bar Magnesium.
Conventional coolants as stated do NOT help heat transfer. They are added for their antifreeze and anti corrosion properties.
Cost is about US$22 or here in Australia about AU$45
Thanks for a great project instructable !