Mining rig cases with separate hot and cold air flow

[Commie]

I've searched the forum but there's almost zero information about those. Does anyone have experience using ColdCase, Donnager, CoolBox or analogs? I live in tropics so keeping my cards both cool and dust/insects free is my target. With open rigs I have to weekly remove spider nets, dust, sand etc.

[miner29]

just build a plywood box put rig in it.

take box fan 20”x20” is gpod for a rig...if bigger box (say 4’ x 4’ x 4’) use a barrell fan.

Make a hole to match the fan on top and pull air out.  Put openings around lower side and use cheap ac filter or cloth to keep stuff out and fan will pull cool air in the lower openings across rig and up and out of box....

Even in VERY hot (works in Thailand heat) this works.  20”x20” fan around $20...barrells run $100 - $200...but the bogger box can do 50-100 gpus....

Vent top fan exhuast outside or out roof.....

[Commie]

just build a plywood box put rig in it.

take box fan 20”x20” is gpod for a rig...if bigger box (say 4’ x 4’ x 4’) use a barrell fan.

Make a hole to match the fan on top and pull air out.  Put openings around lower side and use cheap ac filter or cloth to keep stuff out and fan will pull cool air in the lower openings across rig and up and out of box....

Even in VERY hot (works in Thailand heat) this works.  20”x20” fan around $20...barrells run $100 - $200...but the bogger box can do 50-100 gpus....

Vent top fan exhuast outside or out roof.....

I guess you completely missed the meaning of my question. I'm particularly interested in users experiences and thoughts on separate air stream cases, ie the ones with hot and cold air "corridors", concept similar to one being used in datacenters. Box with two fans is too primitive thing to be discussed here 

[arielbit]

A rack and zip ties is better,.

The whole rack is the case, depends on how many layers is your rack will determine the number of rigs will fit.

And to think bigger, the whole mining room is the computer case, you cool the room the more rigs you can run.

[Commie]

A rack and zip ties is better,.

The whole rack is the case, depends on how many layers is your rack will determine the number of rigs will fit.

And to think bigger, the whole mining room is the computer case, you cool the room the more rigs you can run.

Maybe you're fine with zip ties but being an engineer I like to organize things the best way I can    As for the mining room yes you're right and most efficient cooling benefits you directly, doesn't it.  Hence the reason for cold and hot air zones, more efficient cooling. Plus, extra space is also an issue. What if I told you that rig in the picture holds 96 cards, takes less space and runs 5-10 degrees cooler than our classic rigs?
PS no idea how to resize it without html tags, sorry

[arielbit]

Let's say it can fit 96 cards, the whole lot will still depend greatly on the mining room temperature..can fit 96 cards bit can run at good temps at how many cards?  

No matter how fast those fans are and the air can pass through that case, if the room heats up...first, humans cannot operate long enough inside the room and second, electronics fail.

Now....the cleaning part and the troubleshooting part? Hehe

Just cool the room and make everything accessible by hand and easily observed by eyes.

anyway if you want your rigs to be as dust free as possible you're going for an air conditioned room, but if you are on intake and exhaust fans no case can protect your rigs from dust.

[Commie]

Let's say it can fit 96 cards, the whole lot will still depend greatly on the mining room temperature..can fit 96 cards bit can run at good temps at how many cards?  

No matter how fast those fans are and the air can pass through that case, if the room heats up...first, humans cannot operate long enough inside the room and second, electronics fail.

Now....the cleaning part and the troubleshooting part? Hehe

Just cool the room and make everything accessible by hand and easily observed by eyes.

From what I saw serviceability is quite okay. My rigs are kept outdoors so the room temp. isn't an issue, but I've seen them running in a 35C room at 51-55C per card (1080Ti). Regardless of air volume I direct at my open rigs I never get them run lower than 62-63C, usually higher.

[arielbit]

outdoors?

2nd fl and 3rd fl? 10-15 meters above ground isn't dust proof enough.. i don't know if you are running them at the 10th floor or higher but it all depends on the environment where we live, it is up to you to discover that.

you can try dust filters but it will affect airflow.

[Commie]

outdoors?

2nd fl and 3rd fl? 10-15 meters above ground isn't dust proof enough.. i don't know if you are running them at the 10th floor or higher but it all depends on the environment where we live, it is up to you to discover that.

you can try dust filters but it will affect airflow.

Ground level LOL, i run them this way for years. Filters etc were tried in various setups, always resulting in temps running much higher than I want. Anyway, we're drifting off the topic. I clearly see advantages of separating hot and cold air streams inside the box (or room, or building, if you wish  ). There is a number of videos on similar cases, it got me interested and I started searching for more information. One more thing, as far as I understood it's recommended to dismount card fans prior to installation to improve airflow through radiators. Sounds good, broken fans are such a common thing.

[arielbit]

then that case will not protect those rigs from dust.

it is not just cards that needs cooling, a specific area in the (motherboard, PSU, memory) where temp rises can cause discrete electronic components failure, it can cause issues.

that case may look like it can push a lot of air, but can the PSU breath? (like putting your head out of the car window when the car is running fast, air going inside the nose is harder), server PSU designs are rack mountable friendly.

but too much hassle hehe....rack and zip ties are just around the corner waiting for you

[dedizonesv2]

I've searched the forum but there's almost zero information about those. Does anyone have experience using ColdCase, Donnager, CoolBox or analogs? I live in tropics so keeping my cards both cool and dust/insects free is my target. With open rigs I have to weekly remove spider nets, dust, sand etc.

I have hydroponique chamber and no probleme spider and sand

https://www.ebay.fr/b/Chambres-de-culture-et-tentes-pour-culture-hydroponique/178993/bn_16574859

[Commie]

then that case will not protect those rigs from dust.

it is not just cards that needs cooling, a specific area in the (motherboard, PSU, memory) where temp rises can cause discrete electronic components failure, it can cause issues.

that case may look like it can push a lot of air, but can the PSU breath? (like putting your head out of the car window when the car is running fast, air going inside the nose is harder), server PSU designs are rack mountable friendly.

but too much hassle hehe....rack and zip ties are just around the corner waiting for you

Take a look at the pic below, another manufacturer. Square openings (intake) are covered with G-3 filtration material, if needed. So cool dust free air flows through MB and PSU first them being pushed through card radiators that are flush mounted to plates and all gaps are sealed. This particular one isn't that great IMHO as all 4 cards sit on one plate (serviceability), but other manufacturers use separate plates for each card.

https://forum.coolbox.pro/images/Landing/42.jpg

[arielbit]

then that case will not protect those rigs from dust.

it is not just cards that needs cooling, a specific area in the (motherboard, PSU, memory) where temp rises can cause discrete electronic components failure, it can cause issues.

that case may look like it can push a lot of air, but can the PSU breath? (like putting your head out of the car window when the car is running fast, air going inside the nose is harder), server PSU designs are rack mountable friendly.

but too much hassle hehe....rack and zip ties are just around the corner waiting for you

Take a look at the pic below, another manufacturer (yeah, I know it's going to be huge LOL, advice on resizing is welcome). Square openings (intake) are covered with G-3 filtration material, if needed. So cool dust free air flows through MB and PSU first them being pushed through card radiators that are flash mounted to plates and all gaps are sealed. This particular one isn't that great IMHO as all 4 cards sit on one plate (serviceability), but other manufacturers use separate plates for each card.

https://forum.coolbox.pro/images/Landing/42.jpg

yup it is not great, you don't know if one of those four fans failed because they are too deep in the case.

meanwhile, i go inside my mining room walk around and roll my eyes and i knew a fan failed or not, even better i can pluck a fan(not spinning from a gpu) from a running rig and return it clean and oiled.

also just right now, one of my rig hangs, i go inside the room with a gpu riser board.. i "mini miny moe" at the three gpus riser...voila i changed the right one-first try LOL.

[Commie]

then that case will not protect those rigs from dust.

it is not just cards that needs cooling, a specific area in the (motherboard, PSU, memory) where temp rises can cause discrete electronic components failure, it can cause issues.

that case may look like it can push a lot of air, but can the PSU breath? (like putting your head out of the car window when the car is running fast, air going inside the nose is harder), server PSU designs are rack mountable friendly.

but too much hassle hehe....rack and zip ties are just around the corner waiting for you

Take a look at the pic below, another manufacturer (yeah, I know it's going to be huge LOL, advice on resizing is welcome). Square openings (intake) are covered with G-3 filtration material, if needed. So cool dust free air flows through MB and PSU first them being pushed through card radiators that are flash mounted to plates and all gaps are sealed. This particular one isn't that great IMHO as all 4 cards sit on one plate (serviceability), but other manufacturers use separate plates for each card.

https://forum.coolbox.pro/images/Landing/42.jpg

yup it is not great, you don't know if one of those four fans failed because they are too deep in the case.

meanwhile, i go inside my mining room walk around and roll my eyes and i knew a fan failed or not, even better i can pluck a fan(not spinning from a gpu) from a running rig and return it clean and oiled.

also just right now, one of my rig hangs, i go inside the room with a gpu riser board.. i "mini miny moe" at the three gpus riser...voila i changed the right one-first try LOL.

I sure see your point, but... better the equipment less often it fails, right? These fans are semi-industrial grade, quite reliable, plus you'll sure notice slight temperature rise if one or the fans fails. Besides, some of my friends have their mining farms quite far away from them and monitoring solutions for these farms are developed long time ago (not pricey, too).  Other than that... Well let me ask you: if one of your RAM board stops working, how fast will you realize it? Happened to my PC one time and I only noticed half year later that it reboots with 12gb instead of 16 LOL We don't want to constantly monitor everything around us with our own eyes, do we?  

PS I use risers with LED for that very purpose.

[arielbit]

then that case will not protect those rigs from dust.

it is not just cards that needs cooling, a specific area in the (motherboard, PSU, memory) where temp rises can cause discrete electronic components failure, it can cause issues.

that case may look like it can push a lot of air, but can the PSU breath? (like putting your head out of the car window when the car is running fast, air going inside the nose is harder), server PSU designs are rack mountable friendly.

but too much hassle hehe....rack and zip ties are just around the corner waiting for you

Take a look at the pic below, another manufacturer (yeah, I know it's going to be huge LOL, advice on resizing is welcome). Square openings (intake) are covered with G-3 filtration material, if needed. So cool dust free air flows through MB and PSU first them being pushed through card radiators that are flash mounted to plates and all gaps are sealed. This particular one isn't that great IMHO as all 4 cards sit on one plate (serviceability), but other manufacturers use separate plates for each card.

https://forum.coolbox.pro/images/Landing/42.jpg

yup it is not great, you don't know if one of those four fans failed because they are too deep in the case.

meanwhile, i go inside my mining room walk around and roll my eyes and i knew a fan failed or not, even better i can pluck a fan(not spinning from a gpu) from a running rig and return it clean and oiled.

also just right now, one of my rig hangs, i go inside the room with a gpu riser board.. i "mini miny moe" at the three gpus riser...voila i changed the right one-first try LOL.

I sure see your point, but... better the equipment less often it fails, right? These fans are semi-industrial grade, quite reliable, plus you'll sure notice slight temperature rise if one or the fans fails. Besides, some of my friends have their mining farms quite far away from them and monitoring solutions for these farms are developed long time ago (not pricey, too).  Other than that... Well let me ask you: if one of your RAM board stops working, how fast will you realize it? Happened to my PC one time and I only noticed half year later that it reboots with 12gb instead of 16 LOL We don't want to constantly monitor everything around us with our own eyes, do we?  

PS I use risers with LED for that very purpose.

instantly if you are using 1 RAM module instead of 4, it was a luck that the rig boots at 12gb without hanging or restarts. it is always better that a component fails totally instead of being a nuisance trying to be working.

yes the better, the less often it fails but shit happens specially when there are many points of failure.

I got risers with LED too, LED will help with power supply issue to the board but how about the IC or capacitor in that board?, they can fail too and cause issues without the LED warning you.

[astraleureka]

so pull the unit and debug it at a bench. this has been the traditional method of working on large scale cluster deployments for decades, why do it any differently for mining?  Commie's example is the ideal way of running a large group of mining rigs.

[arielbit]

so pull the unit and debug it at a bench. this has been the traditional method of working on large scale cluster deployments for decades, why do it any differently for mining?  Commie's example is the ideal way of running a large group of mining rigs.

because pulling the unit with two PSU and (insert the number of GPUs) is a job for two people hehe.

besides pulling out and putting back in is a waste of time. look at what i said above, i fixed my hanging rig faster than you can pull that bar bell from a rack LOL.

[Commie]

so pull the unit and debug it at a bench. this has been the traditional method of working on large scale cluster deployments for decades, why do it any differently for mining?  Commie's example is the ideal way of running a large group of mining rigs.

because pulling the unit with two PSU and (insert the number of GPUs) is a job for two people hehe.

besides pulling out and putting back in is a waste of time. look at what i said above, i fixed my hanging rig faster than you can pull that bar bell from a rack LOL.

Wrong. Hint: rails. It has rails.  Then it's just a matter of few screws and top cover.

[arielbit]

so pull the unit and debug it at a bench. this has been the traditional method of working on large scale cluster deployments for decades, why do it any differently for mining?  Commie's example is the ideal way of running a large group of mining rigs.

because pulling the unit with two PSU and (insert the number of GPUs) is a job for two people hehe.

besides pulling out and putting back in is a waste of time. look at what i said above, i fixed my hanging rig faster than you can pull that bar bell from a rack LOL.

Wrong. Hint: rails. It has rails.   Then it's just a matter of few screws and top cover.

So you pull it out like a drawer. Then screws? Screw that. It maybe lighter with rails but it is a waste of time.

How about a rack with rails? You pull the whole rack to troubleshoot and push it back(column of racks) to the air pathway(vent)

A rack with rails is better than a drawer with rails hehe

[Commie]

so pull the unit and debug it at a bench. this has been the traditional method of working on large scale cluster deployments for decades, why do it any differently for mining?  Commie's example is the ideal way of running a large group of mining rigs.

because pulling the unit with two PSU and (insert the number of GPUs) is a job for two people hehe.

besides pulling out and putting back in is a waste of time. look at what i said above, i fixed my hanging rig faster than you can pull that bar bell from a rack LOL.

Wrong. Hint: rails. It has rails.   Then it's just a matter of few screws and top cover.

So you pull it out like a drawer. Then screws? Screw that. It maybe lighter with rails but it is a waste of time.

How about a rack with rails? You pull the whole rack to troubleshoot and push it back(column of racks) to the air pathway(vent)

A rack with rails is better than a drawer with rails hehe

I'm a bit lost now. A rack is shown on the first picture, what's the point of pulling it (yes you can, it has wheels)? Or do you mean something else?
This is a classic server room setup, each rig equals to a server. Sure if you only have 4-5 rigs you don't need a rack, just use separate cases or hang them to the wall if you wish LOL  But when you run dozens of rigs then it's completely different picture.  Container setups for 500+cards/250+ asics with hot/cold zones, monitoring systems, security etc are in the market for a reason.