Table with see through glass Computer. Look inside.

[Jahaziel]

OK my Idea is easy but not easy.
I'm thinking of making a table that has glass on top of it and under it all my computer parts showing. A motor sliding the computer parts out from underneath the table to be able to upgrade it easily. Also, want it to be small enough to be able to take with me after i move out.

Any opnions?

[OvRiDe]

Popular mechanics did some thing similar not too long ago. They have a step by step on how they put it together, so it could be good starting point for your idea.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how_to/4318067.html?page=1

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/monster-table-470-hed-0609.jpg

[Jahaziel]

By any chance, Does anyone know if it get dust inside of it.

[x88x]

Oh it would; unless you only operate it in a clean-room. There's really no way to completely get rid of dust...unless you did a full-immersion, which come to think of it would be pretty cool in a glass table....

[Jahaziel]

What do you mean?

Also. If its fully closed like no holes or anything it still gets dusty?

[x88x]

Well, if it were fully enclosed with just air-cooling, then yeah, no dust would get in, but no heat would get out either. So you would basically just end up cooking your system.

Full-immersion cooling is when the entire system (minus HDDs and ODDs, of course) is submerged in some non-conductive liquid (usually some kind of oil).

[Jahaziel]

So motherboard and I don't know what else dipped in some kind of oil?
Doesn't water cooling take out all heat?

[x88x]

So motherboard and I don't know what else dipped in some kind of oil?
Yeah, you'd have the everything except for the HDDs and ODDs submerged. Here's an example:
HoDmDWpFptY


Doesn't water cooling take out all heat?
No, water cooling is just like normal air cooling in that it only cools the things that..well, the things that you cool. Only the things with waterblocks or normal heatsinks are cooled.

[d_stilgar]

If you had a good way of routing hot air from the processor and graphics cards to say . . . the inside of the metal tubes the desk is made of, then the metal tubes might be enough to dissipate the heat within a sealed system. Watercooling would be another way to get heat from the inside to the outside without air ever getting in. You would want to consider liquid cooling everything in that case as most parts (like hard drives and the power supply) rely on air movement as well. Some people will say that all you will do is cook your computer if it is sealed. While this would probably be true of a sealed system if you did nothing, the big thing with heat is that it is okay anywhere except where your computer parts are. If you can get heat away from your parts and dissipated to the outside of the desk within a sealed system, then you are fine.

[Jahaziel]

So this is highly impossible unless i do the dipping in unconductive liquid

Ok new idea since i can use that liquid. Making the motherboard and psu submerged in the liquid and making it have somehow go to leak like a water fall and then pump it self back in. All in a table. What you guys think

[x88x]

Could definitely be done; what kind of 'waterfall' are you thinking?

[Jahaziel]

No positive yet. Itching at it. Brainstorming throughout my day. Now since all the computer componants would go through this liquid How would i do the D-sub, audio connections, and all that. Still brainstorming.
Any advice.

Btw x88x. Im loving your help =)

[x88x]

No prob.

Among the full-immersion mods I've seen, there have generally been two takes on the connectors; either seal the current rear panel and have it exposed like on a normal system, or have extenders just for the connectors that you'll actually use, and have them terminate at another sealed location. The former has the benefit of being easier to implement, but the latter results in a cleaner look and makes it easier to replace components at a later date.

[Jahaziel]

Let me think. I'm thinking of having the hard drive and everything on the right. The water fall probbly in front of the mother board with tubing to move the water around. The tubing coming out frm the left and right side of somewhere.

Question is. Where can I get the parts for this. I think 8020.net or .com has the steel frame. Now not sure what size the arylic sheet big enough. And how can I make the mobo trat with arylic?

[x88x]

I would definitely recommend drawing up plans before ordering any materials, especially with something of this size.

For the MBB tray, it's definitely possible to make a plexi one, but what'd be a lot easier (and what a lot of people I've seen do) is to use the aluminum Lian-Li MBB tray (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8811/cpa-276/Lian_Li_Replacement_PC-6X_Motherboard_Tray.html).

[Jahaziel]

Thanks. Ill be drawing out plans soon. Any way i can get a 3d drawing program or something?

[x88x]

Google SketchUp is pretty good. And free! :D

http://sketchup.google.com/

[mDust]

This is a pretty cool idea. Why did I ever stop reading PM?:facepalm:

I don't know how complicated a table you're looking to make, but air cooling should work. As long as the intake was on the bottom of the desk and had a removable dust filter, it should stay pretty clean inside.
Liquid cooling could also work if the radiator is outside the desk (or at least vents outside)...just mount it to the bottom of your removable tray.

Full immersion, being as awesome as it is, would also work but adds a bit more complexity. Depending on the hardware, you may still need to cool the oil with a rad to keep the temperatures relatively low. A completely enclosed and sealed tank would be necessary for the oil and it would need a way to bleed off air to get those ugly air bubbles out...unless you just don't fill it all the way, but I don't know how good that would look.
I'm not trying to discourage you from doing the full immersion, as I'm planning an immersion project myself and I think this is pretty awesome. But if you do choose the immersion path get ready to design your way out of problems! If you need help, post your questions and I and likely many others will help troubleshoot.

[Jahaziel]

Not sure yet. I like the Full-immersion idea but like you said it looks to involved for my beginner mods. So ill probably go with your idea of using a filter so dust would not go in and water cooling. What you guys think?

I got this computer table i got at home. Certainly wide. Ill take a picture of it when i get home.

Ill try and 3d draw it and add on my little project to it. This should save me some money

[sloppyc]

I don't see why a couple of fans + air filters wouldn't do the trick.

[mDust]

So ill probably go with your idea of using a filter so dust would not go in and water cooling. What you guys think?

Sounds like a plan. Make sure to get everything worked out to the last detail so there are no surprises like there were in the PM build. Generally surprises are good, but when building or working with computers/electronics, I've not had many 'good' surprises...:D

[Jahaziel]

Ok, Ill be working at it. It will take a year to make seeing as i go to school full time and work full time. Yeah im busy. Ill draw it once I find time.