PDA

View Full Version : Is it possible?



BigV1027
04-19-2006, 08:02 PM
Not to come off as an idiot or noob or watever, but is it possible to liquid cool a power supply somehow or another? It just came across my mind when reading the Silent PSU topicc? Do you think it could be possible?

Slug Toy
04-19-2006, 09:36 PM
if you have a spare psu sitting around, give it a try. seems to me there are a few aluminum heatsinks in a psu, so those could be switched out. i dont really know what parts would generate heat, or where they would be, so it'll take some experimenting.

i myself have wondered that, but i dont have a spare unit to test with.

yet another region to delve into in the name of modding.

xmastree
04-19-2006, 10:12 PM
Be careful, there are some seriously dangerous voltages in there...

The main problem I can see though is this. In a PSU there tend to be small individual heatsinks. The components fastened to these will be in electrical contact with them. It's probably not a good idea to connect them together with water. Transformer oil would be ok, but messy.

Rankenphile
04-20-2006, 12:19 AM
From what little I know (which really ain't much) about watercooling, my opinion is this:

Possible: Sure. Why not.
A good idea: Um... no. Dangerous. The slightest leak and you'll fry everything.

Jetty_200
04-20-2006, 09:16 AM
man that's really dangerous....good luck though ....eek :?

DaveW
04-20-2006, 10:07 AM
I don't think this is a major possibility, there isn't really a die or anything like that to specifically cool down. The parts that get the hottest are cooled by tall heatsinks which they're screwed too; the fan cools the whole board and these parts.

At the end of the day, a heatsink can be passively cooled, and there's no bonus to watercooling it; it won't provide more volts when cool, or anything like that. So it's not worth the risk of mucking around with your PSU for. There's other things worth doing with a PSU but watercooling...isn't one of them, in my honest opinion.

-Dave

jrabbitb
04-20-2006, 11:54 AM
it might be an idea to set up a cold air fan. take a heatsink that blows air sideways and has heatpipes, slap a water block on the bottom of the heatsink and you will have a super cold heatsink with a fan blowing air through it and then to the psu. you'd effectivly have an AC on your psu.

DaveW
04-20-2006, 03:36 PM
you'd effectivly have an AC on your psu.

But for what? You'll get no performance bonus. It's not worth the bother-it's neither practical or aesthetic.

-Dave

jrabbitb
04-20-2006, 04:16 PM
well reducing the heat would prolong the life of the psu, but that would be the only real bennafit.

AKA_RA
04-20-2006, 05:24 PM
id be really careful about that, i know that if you accidently touch both heatsinks at the same time in some power supplies that you get quite the jolt. so i would figure that attaching waterblocks and then running a conductive fluid through them prolly isnt the greatest idea. although i think ive seen a water cooled power supply before, i wouldnt suggest making one yourself. the voltages your dealing with are just too dangerous.

Slug Toy
04-20-2006, 07:30 PM
i had a secondary thought, after pondering this issue for a bit.

seems to me heat will degrade efficiency to a certain extent. i may be wrong in this, but im damn sure.

so keeping a psu extra cool may gain you a few percent in efficiency.

as for the danger of all this... who cares? im all for danger. theres nothing more awesome than not knowing if and when your computer will smoke out/explode/electrocute you.

i say you should put some potassium chlorate in the psu if you do it. that way if anything goes wrong, it goes wrong big time.

xmastree
04-20-2006, 09:14 PM
You could make a new PSU case from acrylic, seal it up, fit a couple of pipe connections and use it like a reservoir. That would work, provided you use a non-conductive liquid for cooling.

Or, make a metal case with no holes and bolt heatsinks to the outside. Then fill it with transformer oil to conduct the heat to case, from where the heatsinks will dissipate it. Won't be as effective though, unless you have plenty of airflow around it.

Jetty_200
04-21-2006, 10:06 AM
any way you look at this...i don't get why you don't just spend these efforts and ideas else where. Like think about it, the psu is literally the last thing you would mod. for cooling stuff. The danger is there, not like i'm your ma or anything though. And you don't get anything out of it...like the A/C power supply...why not build an A/C unit to th front of the computer, it'll still be way colder by the time it gets to the psu anyways you know. And this way you got all your other parts cooled too...i am just saying i think that you should concentrate more on something that works for the greater good and not only the psu, got it?

GL bro

Slug Toy
04-21-2006, 03:21 PM
any way you look at this...i don't get why you don't just spend these efforts and ideas else where. Like think about it, the psu is literally the last thing you would mod. for cooling stuff. The danger is there, not like i'm your ma or anything though. And you don't get anything out of it...like the A/C power supply...why not build an A/C unit to th front of the computer, it'll still be way colder by the time it gets to the psu anyways you know. And this way you got all your other parts cooled too...i am just saying i think that you should concentrate more on something that works for the greater good and not only the psu, got it?

GL bro

thats the beauty of modding though. you dont need much of a reason to do things, even if they are about as retarded as a fish with an inefficient lung and no feet, that sleeps in the dirt.

theres no such thing as a waste of time and/or energy. sleeping is a waste of time and energy if you want to get technical, but we do it anyways.

i guess what im trying to say is... power supplies are ugly boxes. they deserve to be taken apart and made better in any way, shape, or form.

DaveW
04-21-2006, 05:40 PM
as for the danger of all this... who cares?

No offence, but that's some crap advice. Safety should always come first-don't ever put your safety on the line for something as simple as this-it's not exactly an extreme sport, is it? There's no reason to let something as silly as this get out of hand and result in someone hurting themselves.

I'm sorry if you disagree but it's a stupid thing to say, especially if someone isn't aware of the danger.

Yes, power supplies are ugly boxes, and they need improvement most of the time-but to promote this care-free attitude isn't responsible of a person with your knowledge.

I hope you see my point, and aren't offended.

On a side note, if you know what you're doing, then by all means mod your PSU as much as you like. I'm doing it myself in fact.

-Dave

Slug Toy
04-22-2006, 05:04 AM
No offence

none taken. as ive admitted occasionally, im an idiot when it comes to certain things. personal safety is one of those things. i better make it clear to not follow any SAFETY advice that i give, seeming as many of the things i do end up in fireballs and crash landings. im one of those guy who would sooner fall down the stairs than spill my drink.

but you know... i cant help but wonder. who in they're right mind (except me of course) would work on a psu while its plugged in? if you unplug first, well that eliminates most of the danger right there. THEN, id be more worried about a stray screw driver.

at the end of the day, just dont preach to me about safety. it just wont work. ill say "ya ya ya, watch where i walk" and promptly turn face first into a wall. ill say "ya ya ya, dont breathe when you're under water" and then... well you get the idea.

DaveW
04-22-2006, 05:16 AM
I'm not worried about people who'll work on a PSU while it's plugged in; i hope to never meet anyone that stupid. But if someone doesn't know what they're doing, they might say, forget to screw the earth wire back into their case. Which means that if there's a loose connection somewhere then it's got only one place to go when you touch it.

An inexperiencd modder can easilly forget about things like earthing the case, which is why i don't think it's a good idea to downplay the dangers of messing with a PSU.

-Dave

xmastree
04-22-2006, 06:30 AM
If you unplug first, well that eliminates most of the danger right there.Sure, once those big capacitors have discharged. Until then it's still bloody dangerous.

As for stored charges. I once took apart a disposable camera. I wanted one element from the viewfinder to use as a wide angle adaptor for a webcam.
My friend runs a photo developing shop and gave me a camera which had been thrown away that morning.
I took it apart and accidentally touched the big cap in the flash circuit. :eek:

I won't do that again in a hurry...

Computer PSUs store rectified mains. you really don't want that up your arm.

DaveW
04-22-2006, 08:08 AM
^^^
I'd actually forgotten bout' that for a second there. There's that as well.

-Dave

BigV1027
04-22-2006, 09:54 AM
any way you look at this...i don't get why you don't just spend these efforts and ideas else where. Like think about it, the psu is literally the last thing you would mod. for cooling stuff. The danger is there, not like i'm your ma or anything though. And you don't get anything out of it...like the A/C power supply...why not build an A/C unit to th front of the computer, it'll still be way colder by the time it gets to the psu anyways you know. And this way you got all your other parts cooled too...i am just saying i think that you should concentrate more on something that works for the greater good and not only the psu, got it?

GL bro

Yea but the thing is, some modding is doing it just because you can (cant think of an example cuz i just woke up). And also, if you have a fully watercooled comp, and the psu has fans, that will be the only thing making alot of noise! So if you need a reason for doing this, its noise reduction to the max! lol

xmastree
04-22-2006, 10:09 AM
True, but when you're dealing with potentially lethal voltages you might end up blowing yourself up, just because you can.
You really need to be careful in there.

The rest of the computer has no more than 12V around it. Inside the PSU is a different ball game. They don't put warning labels on them for nothing.

Don't listen to SlugToy, he'd watercool a monitor and toast marshmallows on the remains...

Slug Toy
04-22-2006, 03:36 PM
yes, yes i would.

when my crt monitor goes out, im doing that!!!!

onelegout
04-23-2006, 11:29 AM
oops double post

onelegout
04-23-2006, 11:33 AM
Sure, once those big capacitors have discharged. Until then it's still bloody dangerous.

As for stored charges. I once took apart a disposable camera. I wanted one element from the viewfinder to use as a wide angle adaptor for a webcam.
My friend runs a photo developing shop and gave me a camera which had been thrown away that morning.
I took it apart and accidentally touched the big cap in the flash circuit. :eek:

I won't do that again in a hurry...

I once used a flash disposable camera to make a high-powered tazer :) Simply take the flash bulb out, attatch wire to each flash contact, duct tape it all back together with wires sticking out the end of the duct tape'd camera, hold down flash charge button, and then hit the shutter, BAM! a nice clean blue spark!

If you bypass the shutter button switch it will work for ages when you hold down the charge button :D never tried it out on anyone, but it melted the aluminium on my skateboard trucks :D it also melted aluminium cans