Leo's simplified version
aus oilcomputer-wiki, der freien Wissensdatenbank
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Intro
I'll make a start. Here are some instructions on how you can build an Oilcomputer like mine. I'll add to these instructions bit by bit over time.
Of course you should be comfortable with your hardware and have a certain degree of skill with technical stuff. Likewise a certain degree of improvisation and DIY ability is required :) Still don't let this scare you off. If problems crop up, just leave everything the way it is and ask around in the forum, before you make a mistake you can't go back on.
Once again I should point out that I disclaim all responsibility for any damages caused by these instructions. Furthermore I won't take any responsibilty in any form for any consequences of this site. You're on your own.
Required Materials
- one Aquarium (the base should be big enough to fit your motherboard comfortably)
- about 25 litres of cheap cooking oil from the supermarket (depending on how big your aquarium is, the stuff cost me about 79c/litre)
- a whole desktop-pc (you have to understand that there is a chance that this desktop won't work afterwards)
- Peripherals, choose ones that aren't too valuable (mouse, keyboard, monitor cable, USB-cables, etc)
- air compressor (to clean the PC parts) btw: there's also compressed air in cans in almost every electronics shop
- a couple of towels and kitchen rolls (in case there are mishaps)
The build
- Clean the PC parts
You start by taking every part out of the PC and cleaning it thoroughly with the compressed air. It's very important that everything including the fans etc are spotlesslessly clean. Of course you don't need to go as far as polishing the parts, you just have to make sure there's no dust hanging around the parts. - the construction
Build all the hardware of your PC in the aquarium, connect everything and do a test-run to see if the computer works. When everything runs, you can continue, otherwise find the problem :) You should also connect the HD-LED and the Power-LED, so that you can later see if the PC is even on at all.
Now you have to make a device to prevent the hard drive from ending up in the oil. For example, you can take a piece of wood and screw the hard drive onto it, among other ideas.
You can see that here:
Picture of a friend's oil computer (http://xn--lrechner-m4a.de/bilder/oel_3.JPG) - The moment of truth!
Now you start filling your aquarium with the oil. When the hardware is completely submerged in oil, you're ready for a test-run. Turn on your PC and watch to see if it's running. If everything went smoothly, your box should be running. - Put the oil computer through its paces
If the oil computer boots, you should run a System-check, load-test etc and keep your eyes on the processor, graphics card and chipset temperatures. If problems should crop up, you might need a larger heat sink, or stronger fan.
If oil is kept too hot for long computing times (I'd say it shouldn't be more than roughly 40°C/86F) there is a possibility of installing a radiator to cool the oil in the tank with a small pump. - Finishing touches
Now you can bundle and tuck away all cables tidyly (normal aquarium tanks have two small openings at the back that you can run cables through)
Final words
If you've now successfully built an oil computer, I'd appreciate it if you could document the whole thing and publish your experiences here in the wiki or in the forum. If you have any problems, ask in the forum.
translated by Joe Richards joe --at-- penski.net on May 12th... shameless plug: Check out my Travel photography site (http://www.ballofdirt.com) and upload some photos - thanks!
