The Chili – 30+GH/s BFL based Bitcoin Miner Assembly

[GrapeApe]

Yeah that was a good quick inexpensive find and perfect timing for me. On another note the prototype that Hands is making looks great I got a look at it earlier today and  it seems like it should be a good alternative.

[PhDMiner]

Yeah that was a good quick inexpensive find and perfect timing for me. On another note the prototype that Hands is making looks great I got a look at it earlier today and  it seems like it should be a good alternative.

You might win the auction yesterday as I did. :-) I won three more and already have two so total 5 chilis from Monday. All of backplates, collers, and chilis will arrive Monday!!

[Hands]

So this the rough draft design of what I am calling the Queso case (you know because chili Queso is the best!)... The case will be laser cut out of .177" (4.5m) acrylic and easily glued together.

120mm fan mounts to the side and blows air over the mosfets, you can run it in multiple directions based on what's best for your cooler (thank you GrapeApe for suggesting that it be able to be turned horizontal for big air coolers).  And easy access to all the cables.

The plan is that the back-plate will have 2mm of foam (cut out in the same shape as the plate it self to act as a bit of cushion.

I've got to make 10 of these for myself, but once I figure out the effort, laser time & material costs involved I'd be happy to cut some out for others and flat-pack ship them to ya. 

Once I have a working prototype I'll snap some pics and have a better of idea of what it cost of others one some.

[daemonfox]

Same backplate in stock

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLDH80/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1S9W9A986D3KF

[GrapeApe]

So this the rough draft design of what I am calling the Queso case (you know because chili Queso is the best!)... The case will be laser cut out of .177" (4.5m) acrylic and easily glued together.

120mm fan mounts to the side and blows air over the mosfets, you can run it in multiple directions based on what's best for your cooler (thank you GrapeApe for suggesting that it be able to be turned horizontal for big air coolers).  And easy access to all the cables.

The plan is that the back-plate will have 2mm of foam (cut out in the same shape as the plate it self to act as a bit of cushion.

I've got to make 10 of these for myself, but once I figure out the effort, laser time & material costs involved I'd be happy to cut some out for others and flat-pack ship them to ya. 

Once I have a working prototype I'll snap some pics and have a better of idea of what it cost of others one some.

They look good Hands!! Definitely get in touch with me when you finalize design and cost. I like em...

[agibby5]

So this the rough draft design of what I am calling the Queso case (you know because chili Queso is the best!)... The case will be laser cut out of .177" (4.5m) acrylic and easily glued together.

120mm fan mounts to the side and blows air over the mosfets, you can run it in multiple directions based on what's best for your cooler (thank you GrapeApe for suggesting that it be able to be turned horizontal for big air coolers).  And easy access to all the cables.

The plan is that the back-plate will have 2mm of foam (cut out in the same shape as the plate it self to act as a bit of cushion.

I've got to make 10 of these for myself, but once I figure out the effort, laser time & material costs involved I'd be happy to cut some out for others and flat-pack ship them to ya.  

Once I have a working prototype I'll snap some pics and have a better of idea of what it cost of others one some.

Can they be screwed together or must they be glued?
How many Chilis can an enclosure hold?

[Hands]

Can they be screwed together or must they be glued?
How many Chilis can an enclosure hold?

The design is all tabs and slots as such there aren't really any thing to screw into. (keep in mind the fan & chili board will be screwed on not glued down).. That would be weird :-P) I'm going to cut them to be pretty tight so you might be able to just pressure fit them.   I suppose with a few strategically placed L brackets you could change it to screw together, but that's not in the design.. trying to keep it as simple as possible to make.  And being acrylic, a bit of acrylic cement and it will practically (and in some cases actually) be a single piece of plastic.

As for how many.. because I want to provide airflow to the mosfet's and people have soo many different cooling chooses the Queso holds 1 chili (two chili's in a small bowl like that would just be too hot :-P ).   If there is enough interest, I could be convinced to design a mult-chili rig.  Granted I have 10 chili's myself to setup.. I wanted something that if a chili has an issues can be worked on (away from the "rig") without taking everything else offline.

[daemonfox]

Can they be screwed together or must they be glued?
How many Chilis can an enclosure hold?

The design is all tabs and slots as such there aren't really any thing to screw into. (keep in mind the fan & chili board will be screwed on not glued down).. That would be weird :-P) I'm going to cut them to be pretty tight so you might be able to just pressure fit them.   I suppose with a few strategically placed L brackets you could change it to screw together, but that's not in the design.. trying to keep it as simple as possible to make.  And being acrylic, a bit of acrylic cement and it will practically (and in some cases actually) be a single piece of plastic.

As for how many.. because I want to provide airflow to the mosfet's and people have soo many different cooling chooses the Queso holds 1 chili (two chili's in a small bowl like that would just be too hot :-P ).   If there is enough interest, I could be convinced to design a mult-chili rig.  Granted I have 10 chili's myself to setup.. I wanted something that if a chili has an issues can be worked on (away from the "rig") without taking everything else offline.

What is the estimated cost... really like this concept.

[GenTarkin]

can someone tell me which parts of the VRM are most important to cool w/ little heatsinks?

[ChipGeek]

can someone tell me which parts of the VRM are most important to cool w/ little heatsinks?

It's best to just add heatsinks to the back of the board.  However, the parts you are cooling are the black plastic transistors between the large aluminum cylinders (the filter capacitors) and the large black cubes of metal (the inductors). 

The reason the back is better to cool than the parts directly is that the parts are mounted with a metal pad in the middle that is designed to conduct the heat into the board.  On the other hand, the top of the part is plastic and does not conduct heat as well.  Thus, cooling the back of the board is best.  Also, when you add heatsinks on the top of the parts, you risk shorting out some of the other small capacitors near the devices you are cooling.

To repeat: It is best to heatsink and cool the back of the board under the VRM, and NOT heatsink any of the individual parts.

[Hands]

What is the estimated cost... really like this concept.

I'm working on getting the first one cut out now.. I don't want to give a number until I can stick to it... But right now the cut files look like they will need about 2 ~ 2 1/2sf of acrylic per case and that's around $3.50 ~ $5.00 sf depending on color and supplier.  

Also, once I have final "v1" cut files done, I'll post them to github so that if anyone else have access to a laser and acrylic or has a way to make it better we can collaborate :-).


--- Edit: Beyond the acrylic cost there is, setup time, laser run time, cleanup time and shipping to account for so its not straight material cost calculation...  I won't know laser run time until I get a few cut and know how long it actually takes me and the machine to setup the cut, run the cut, inspect etc....

[GenTarkin]

can someone tell me which parts of the VRM are most important to cool w/ little heatsinks?

It's best to just add heatsinks to the back of the board.  However, the parts you are cooling are the black plastic transistors between the large aluminum cylinders (the filter capacitors) and the large black cubes of metal (the inductors). 

The reason the back is better to cool than the parts directly is that the parts are mounted with a metal pad in the middle that is designed to conduct the heat into the board.  On the other hand, the top of the part is plastic and does not conduct heat as well.  Thus, cooling the back of the board is best.  Also, when you add heatsinks on the top of the parts, you risk shorting out some of the other small capacitors near the devices you are cooling.

To repeat: It is best to heatsink and cool the back of the board under the VRM, and NOT heatsink any of the individual parts.

can you take a pic of what area on the back to add heatsinks to?

[MrTeal]

can someone tell me which parts of the VRM are most important to cool w/ little heatsinks?

It's best to just add heatsinks to the back of the board.  However, the parts you are cooling are the black plastic transistors between the large aluminum cylinders (the filter capacitors) and the large black cubes of metal (the inductors). 

The reason the back is better to cool than the parts directly is that the parts are mounted with a metal pad in the middle that is designed to conduct the heat into the board.  On the other hand, the top of the part is plastic and does not conduct heat as well.  Thus, cooling the back of the board is best.  Also, when you add heatsinks on the top of the parts, you risk shorting out some of the other small capacitors near the devices you are cooling.

To repeat: It is best to heatsink and cool the back of the board under the VRM, and NOT heatsink any of the individual parts.

can you take a pic of what area on the back to add heatsinks to?

The copper around the fets is pretty efficient at transmitting heat, so using a bigger heatsink interface is always better than a small one since the thermal resistance of the solder mask and whatever adhesive you use is actually quite high. As a bonus, there's a couple areas that you can use to help cool the inductors if your HS is big enough to cover them.

[ipxtreme]

My cooling solution!!

1. Backplate: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W8AOK2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The black rubber looks like shadow. It is rubber sheet for insulation. The steel backplate is very thick and sturdy.

2. Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SEZBXY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This horizontal cooler may be good to chill down MOSFETs.

3. MOSFET Heatsink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLDIHK/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3M thermal tape is included.

4. Raspberry Pi
No need to describe

No need to buy additional screws. I could attach both of the backplate and the cooler just with screws provided by Cooler Master.

I put all these in my garage, and for the internet connection, installed a WiFi multi-bridge, which transparently connects the Raspberry Pi in the garage to the Verizon WiFi router in the living room. My garage is crazy cold these days so my chilis show about 38GHs at below 60 Celsius degree.

PhDminer, this is cool. Can you show us pics of it assembled? Where the parts go with pics?

[GenTarkin]

can someone tell me which parts of the VRM are most important to cool w/ little heatsinks?

It's best to just add heatsinks to the back of the board.  However, the parts you are cooling are the black plastic transistors between the large aluminum cylinders (the filter capacitors) and the large black cubes of metal (the inductors). 

The reason the back is better to cool than the parts directly is that the parts are mounted with a metal pad in the middle that is designed to conduct the heat into the board.  On the other hand, the top of the part is plastic and does not conduct heat as well.  Thus, cooling the back of the board is best.  Also, when you add heatsinks on the top of the parts, you risk shorting out some of the other small capacitors near the devices you are cooling.

To repeat: It is best to heatsink and cool the back of the board under the VRM, and NOT heatsink any of the individual parts.

can you take a pic of what area on the back to add heatsinks to?

The copper around the fets is pretty efficient at transmitting heat, so using a bigger heatsink interface is always better than a small one since the thermal resistance of the solder mask and whatever adhesive you use is actually quite high. As a bonus, there's a couple areas that you can use to help cool the inductors if your HS is big enough to cover them.

Awesome, thanks for the pic, which heatsinks would well for those areas? links to any would be awesome =)

[MrTeal]

Awesome, thanks for the pic, which heatsinks would well for those areas? links to any would be awesome =)

When I was prototyping I just used these ones since I could get them next day.
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=us&KeyWords=294-1100-ND
Two of them are enough to cover all 4 phases.

You can get heatsinks cheaper than that if you don't mind waiting though. I bought these guys as well, and just cut them in half and put both halves on the board.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Heat-Sink-10pcs-lot-x-150-20-6mm-for-LED-Power-IC-PBC-Module-Transistor-/181132035289?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

[PhDMiner]

My cooling solution!!

1. Backplate: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W8AOK2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/312-Z8M8bZL.jpg
The black rubber looks like shadow. It is rubber sheet for insulation. The steel backplate is very thick and sturdy.

2. Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SEZBXY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Un70yxiNL.jpg
This horizontal cooler may be good to chill down MOSFETs.

3. MOSFET Heatsink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLDIHK/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41py58WVcGL._SY300_.jpg
3M thermal tape is included.

4. Raspberry Pi
No need to describe

No need to buy additional screws. I could attach both of the backplate and the cooler just with screws provided by Cooler Master.

I put all these in my garage, and for the internet connection, installed a WiFi multi-bridge, which transparently connects the Raspberry Pi in the garage to the Verizon WiFi router in the living room. My garage is crazy cold these days so my chilis show about 38GHs at below 60 Celsius degree.

PhDminer, this is cool. Can you show us pics of it assembled? Where the parts go with pics?

5 chilis in my garage.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2m29kev.jpg

One of them
http://oi41.tinypic.com/308ay34.jpg

How to assemble: 1. black rubber pad, 2. 2mm steel backplate, 3. one more backplate provided by cooler master, 4. tightening only with bolt&nuts provided by cooler master
http://i43.tinypic.com/iqlxz6.jpg

You can see MOSFET heatsink in this pic.
http://i39.tinypic.com/154c9sm.jpg

Mining status. The max is more than 39GHs. Awesome!!
http://i42.tinypic.com/14vie00.png

[ipxtreme]

Thanks PhDminer!

[PhDMiner]

Thanks PhDminer!

Be careful!! Power supply passed away few minutes ago!! LoL 39GHs may draw lots of W. 

[agibby5]

Awesome, thanks for the pic, which heatsinks would well for those areas? links to any would be awesome =)

When I was prototyping I just used these ones since I could get them next day.
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=us&KeyWords=294-1100-ND
Two of them are enough to cover all 4 phases.

You can get heatsinks cheaper than that if you don't mind waiting though. I bought these guys as well, and just cut them in half and put both halves on the board.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Heat-Sink-10pcs-lot-x-150-20-6mm-for-LED-Power-IC-PBC-Module-Transistor-/181132035289?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

How important is it to get heatsinks. I realize it's up to the person who is using the devices, but I am getting between 33 and 36+ ghs on my Chilis.  How much of an improvement can I expect?