Project: custom 19in rack passive cooling system

[crazyates]

I gotta say this is an awesome project. WC almost an entire KWh of heat is no small feat, and to do it passively (or close to it) is even more impressive.

I gotta ask tho: how much have you spent in parts/man hours into this project? Is it worth it for only one rig?

[JinTu]

I gotta say this is an awesome project. WC almost an entire KWh of heat is no small feat, and to do it passively (or close to it) is even more impressive.

I gotta ask tho: how much have you spent in parts/man hours into this project? Is it worth it for only one rig?

Thanks for the kudos.

Thus far, for the raw materials I'm into this project ~$2.5k and looking at about another $1.5k to finish it off. As far as man hours go, I can only manage a few hours every other weekend (if I am lucky) so maybe 30 hours or so since I started (including the time to design it).

Even though I am initially planning to only support a single rig, the design will support the cooling needs of emerging mining technologies. It might seem like overkill for now, but I am thinking ahead for whatever comes next.

[Cablez]

Watercooled ASICs???

[JinTu]

Watercooled ASICs???

Absolutely! I don't need that many coffee cups warmed

In all seriousness, ASICs are a lot more efficient than prior technologies, but still generate heat. In any high density configuration the heat will need to be moved away to prevent thermal failure, so there will still be a need for fans (or water cooling).

[JinTu]

Now that the majority of the parts for the 1RU controller blade have arrived and I have taken a full set of measurements for their dimensions, I have done the initial (incomplete) set of drawings.

Shown: 1RU half shelf, Aquaero 5 XT, 3x poweradjust 2, illuminated latching toggle switch.
To be added: Pico-PSU, 12VDC power brick, wiring harnesses, detail on faceplate, detail on top cover


A high resolution version of this drawing can be found here.

[jojo69]

Veeery nice indeed.

Hey, have a quick look at my gaming/mining build, also rackmounted http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?s=4826515f8077a98d66cf9e6c9e11c7c1&t=1577248&highlight=teraractyl

[JinTu]

Veeery nice indeed.

Hey, have a quick look at my gaming/mining build, also rackmounted http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?s=4826515f8077a98d66cf9e6c9e11c7c1&t=1577248&highlight=teraractyl

That's an impressive build jojo69.

I have been tempted to get one of those mini mills myself, but first need to convince the wife

[jojo69]

Let me know if you need any parts cut, we'll work something out.

[JinTu]

I didn't make much progress on the construction this week due to family commitments but I was able to mark and drill the pilot holes for the upper radiator module mount. (no pics this time) Still remaining is to drill the primary and countersink holes, and then drill and tap the upper 14 radiator segments that will comprise the upper module. 

I also acquired the USB cabling and power plugs as well as the L-brackets for mounting the Aquaero 5 XT and Poweradjust 2's to the rack shelf and updated the controller drawings with the current plans (and a minor correction on the shelf detail.)

Higher resolution version here.

[JinTu]

I called it a day at work a few hours early and was able to finish drilling the primary and countersink holes on the upper radiator module mount, and cut the 1.5" L channel that will serve as the mounts for the Aquaero 5 and Poweradjusts. However, after reviewing the Poweradjust 5.25" drive bay mount in the rack shelf, I have reconsidered the mounting location and decided to mount the units on opposite ends of the shelf. This is far simpler and leaves more space available in the middle for additional switches or components down the road.

Shelf and Poweradjust drive bay mount faceplate


Revised drawing

[JinTu]

I was able to finish off the hardware for mounting the Aquaero and picoPSU. Everything powered up and looked great save some issues with the touchscreen on the Aquaero 5 XT...





...but, after hooking up the USB connector and double-checking the pinouts and wire color codes I then started up Aquasuite and plugged the USB cable into my laptop and poof: the laptop shutdown, the PicoPSU and Aquaero both shut off and the acrid smell of burned electronics permeated the air Nothing would power up afterwards, but after a little cooling off I was able to get the laptop to power back up, but the USB port I had used is totally dead. The PicoPSU power brick had only blown a fuse, and after replacing it, the power brick and the PicoPSU came back to life. Unfortunately, not so for the Aquaero, it won't power up no matter what I do.

Prior to plugging the USB cable in, I check and re-checked the pinouts and cable color codes and everything looked good. So you can imagine my surprise when this happened. Afterwards I checked again and nothing with the USB connection appears to have been wrong. I am using an internal to external USB adapter (the same type sold on the Aquacomputer online shop here). I am only using four of the five USB pins, leaving the outermost ground unconnected per Shoggy's recommendation in the post here: Aquastream USB Connector mod

It would appear as though the USB port on the Aquaero is not adequately isolated to allow the use of an external power supply, but have reached out to AC support for further clarification.

[irritant]

ouch , too bad .. melting picopsu?

[jojo69]

Dammit dude!

I feel your pain man...bummer

If it makes you feel better, GF called last night (I'm working on the road) and the rig I linked above is no POST no fan as of yesterday...

[Morblias]

This project looks amazing! That sucks about the burnt up electronics. Hopefully you can get that all figured out soon and keep this build going

[arklan]

i'm gonna be really sad when asic's start shipping and more or less make the need for such creative rig building unneeded. i love this stuff.

maybe i'll water cool... *shifty eyes* my HOUSE!

wait... i live in my brothers basement... crap! foiled again!

[JinTu]

Dammit dude!

I feel your pain man...bummer

If it makes you feel better, GF called last night (I'm working on the road) and the rig I linked above is no POST no fan as of yesterday...

Thanks for the kind words and sorry about your rig

Thus far I haven't heard back from Aquacomputer, but my leading theory is a ground loop due to both devices running from DC supplies, and inadequate USB isolation built in to the Aquaero. The good thing is USB isolators are relatively inexpensive, so even if AC can't offer an adequate solution, there is a path...

[JinTu]

I spent a little more time inspecting the Aquaero 5XT mainboard this morning and unfortunately it looks like one of the components is damaged. It's hard to make out the part number with half of the cover of the IC package blown off (you can see the upper-left lead exposed inside the package), but it appears to be a diode on the +5V supply rail:


Prior to blowing up the AQ , I was having some difficulty using the touchscreen (most buttons did not respond, but one appeared to be stuck down and the plastic portion of the touchscreen kept popping out). When I inquired about this in the Aquacomputer support forum one of the Admin's suggested that I get the touchscreen replaced. Here is what it looks like:



I have reached out to Aquacomputer to attempt to get replacement parts but this undoubtedly will take some time.

In advance of the replacement Aquaero boards coming I ordered a USB isolator to prevent the same thing from happening again, but the lead time for receiving it is a full month. I will need to focus my construction efforts on completing the radiator modules in the mean time...

[jojo69]

It will be quite interesting to see if Aquacomputer takes care of you, they have an opportunity to really shine here.

[JinTu]

Watercooled ASICs???

Absolutely! I don't need that many coffee cups warmed

In all seriousness, ASICs are a lot more efficient than prior technologies, but still generate heat. In any high density configuration the heat will need to be moved away to prevent thermal failure, so there will still be a need for fans (or water cooling).

Ahem... BFL Releases Renderings of New BFL Single WaterBlock and Heat Sink

[Cablez]

Watercooled ASICs???

Absolutely! I don't need that many coffee cups warmed

In all seriousness, ASICs are a lot more efficient than prior technologies, but still generate heat. In any high density configuration the heat will need to be moved away to prevent thermal failure, so there will still be a need for fans (or water cooling).

Ahem... BFL Releases Renderings of New BFL Single WaterBlock and Heat Sink

Yeah, it's nice to know we are all over BFL.  Now if only we could see inside the building...hehe