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Build idea, any thought or input?

da-kine
Level 7

‎09-21-2013 01:45 AM - last edited on ‎03-06-2024 07:36 PM by Community Admin

hey there, ive had this idea for a custom build in my head for a few years now, and basically id like to see what people think of it.

input/ideas are welcome and appreciated, thanks!

basically id like to take one of those small, basic mini-fridges and utilize the refrigeration as the cooler, of course id make it
look fancy, paint it real nice, and hide as many wires as i can. which would be pretty cool, becuase the walling in those is usually hollow, would leave tons of space to hide wires n the such. id obviously need to fabricate mounts and everything, but thats not hard to do.

would have nice easy access via the main door... which would also keep it pretty dust free.

now the concerns i have are with condensation. seeing as in a normal refrigerator, there tends to be quite a bit of condensation. now im not sure how much of that is due to whats normally kept in a fridge, or how much is cause by the compressor itself. also kinda worried about how much it would potentially weigh. ive seen some pretty small fridges that would be perfect.

and does anyone know if id be able to utilize the power source from the fridge to powering the whole thing? or the other way around, if i could swap the power supply for a larger one that could power the comressor and compnents?
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Jaytheredneck1
Level 8

‎09-21-2013 06:14 AM

Condensation doesn't come from the compressor or the items in the fridge. Condensation is from water vapor in the air, literally condensing back to liquid state due to temperature change, i.e. warm humid air coming in contact with a cold object like a beer can or water bottle. You know, aside from this being basic middle school science, it's information easily available from google. But basically the only time you'll experience condensation is when you open the door.
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da-kine
Level 7

‎09-21-2013 10:24 AM

dont need to be a dick about it...
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MarcNJ
Level 7
In response to da-kine

‎09-21-2013 07:10 PM

do we expect less from a redneck, that was pretty harsh. change the door to thick plexi and add a good seal,,, i think its a "cool" idea ...lol sorry couldn't help it. Run with it!
C5FZ - AMD 8350
AeroCool Strike-X AIR Gaming Open Case
Alphacool DC-LT Ceramic 12V DC Pump + Plexi Top + Reservoir 1 of 3 installed
OC info: none yet... need to finish loops first 😉
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Zka17
Level 16

‎09-21-2013 09:02 PM

Hm... it is an interesting idea... - with the plexi door MarcNJ is suggesting would be a real nice build! :cool:

The condensation is indeed your main concern... depending on the relative humidity in your house that can be a various degree problem... A regular fridge usually cools down to 4C, no way to have your ambient temp so low to not reach the dew point (when condensation appear)...

With those said, I don't think that this project is un-realizable... First of all, you will need some kind of airflow anyway, maybe use the regular air-cooling setups and fans combination...

For maintain a dry air in your fridge-system, you could use some chemicals which absorb humidity... some highly hygroscopic substances/compounds in a small container...

My real concern would be about heat accumulation... I mean how fast can a fridge cool down? When you have high load on your system, you will have heavy heat [production... Could a fridge deal with that in real time?
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xeromist
Moderator
In response to Zka17

‎09-22-2013 08:17 PM

Unfortunately this will not work. Refrigerators are designed to cool objects with a fixed thermal content. With something like a computer actively generating heat it will overheat because the fridge can't keep up...if the compressor motor doesn't burn out first from constant operation.

Note that there ARE phase change cooling systems but they are very specialized compared to a refrigerator. You might want to check those out.
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MarcNJ
Level 7

‎09-22-2013 11:15 PM

Rain on the parade... sad. i say if you have the time and the money it will look awesome. i agree to get the chems. to adsorb moisture before it can become a problem. Who doesn't want to reach into their machine and grab a beer. 😛
C5FZ - AMD 8350
AeroCool Strike-X AIR Gaming Open Case
Alphacool DC-LT Ceramic 12V DC Pump + Plexi Top + Reservoir 1 of 3 installed
OC info: none yet... need to finish loops first 😉
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xeromist
Moderator

‎09-23-2013 10:49 AM

I'm just trying to save him the trouble. This is not a new line of reasoning so there's no reason to make the same mistakes others have made. If you think I'm being overly cautious, just compare the surface area (including FPI, not just volume) of the rad on a mini fridge to the amount you would typically need to cool an entire PC with water cooling radiators. The fridge simply isn't equipped to dissipate that much heat. Maybe something like an Atom PC could work but not a full gaming rig.

Certainly a fridge mod would be a departure from the norm but to make it a success you'd have to get creative. Maybe make a double paned partition area for the PC parts that are cooled by more traditional air and water cooling. That way there is adequate cooling and thermal separation but you can still see them inside.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…
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