PC Case Air Conditioner
New notes:
This is a mod I thought of and built in 1999, I never took any pic's but it worked well.
Version 2.0 is coming soon!
ZapWizard
With nearly every component in your PC generating heat inside a nearly closed case, trying to just dump all that heat and move it out doesn't do very much. The temperature in your case can raise over 60 degree's higher than the ambient temperature. Electronic components all generate heat, at a certain level above the ambient temperature, for example if the ambient temperature is 26 degree's and you processor generates 34 degree's the total heat that you heatsink has to dissipate is 60 degree's. I found that even with three case fans, and the case open the hot air around my processor never seems to go anywhere, it just recycles and generates more heat.
If you can cool all the air in your case, then your heatsinks will work much more efficiently.
This page contains my explanation of a Whole PC Case cooler. By cooling the air that is pumped into the case, you can lower the temperature of all the components in your PC with just one system. This will also make sure that you heatsinks always get fresh air.
Theory:
Use a Peltier element to transport the heat from heatsinks with outside air blowing across them, and put the heat into another heatsink immersed in water. This would be duplicated for each side of the Wind tunnel in which the outside air would pass. Then pump the water out through a radiator that cools the water, and dumps the heat away from the PC's case.
Construction:
I have designed this all to fit into the bottom of an ATX case with a front intake fan.
The wind tunnel would be 8cm square by 15cm deep. The two cold heatsinks would be inside the tunnel, one on each side.
The Peltiers would be imbedded in side of the tunnel, and insulated. The hot heatsinks would be slightly larger than the cold ones, or exactly the same size, and incase in a bow filled with water. Cold water would be pumped into the first box, then into the second, and after collecting the heat it would dump the heat through a radiator, which would have two or more fans cooling the water.
Parts:
I will just list the parts, and not the prices, or placed I bought them I may put this list up later, I am not sure of the total cost yet. Except that it will be less than $100 total.
Peltier Elements = 4cm x 4cm x 0.41cm
Cold Heatsink = 8cm x 6.3cm x 2.6cm -Pin style
Hot Heatsink = 11.5cm x 5.8cm x 2.3cm - Vertical Fin style, so that it may be modified for the water to pass through.
Front Fan = 8cm x 8cm x 3.2mc 40cfm -I chose the fastest fan I could find with the lower noise.
Submersible Pump = 5.6cm x 3.5cm x 4.6cm -I chose a submersible pump so that I can place it directly into the radiator if necessary.
The Radiator could be on either side, just outside the case, fan's then would dump the heat outside the case.
I have built a prototype of this, and I worked very well.
I didn't even use a radiator, I just used the heat absorbing properties of water.
In all the system cooled my case to below 70 degree's and ran for twenty minutes before the water reached over 100.
I will try again using a radiator one of these days