Cooling things other than the computer

E

einstein4513

New Member
Cooling

I am trying to use the cooling tubes of a computer cooling system to cool something other than the hardware of a computer. I hope to use a Kingwin AWC-1 Arctic Computer Liquid Cooling System (here it is-http://www.xoxide.com/kwcoolingsys.html), if only because I can get one cheaply (90.00 has been the cheapest complete system I've seen that looks feasible for cooling something outside the computer). Is there any way to run this hardware without actually having a running computer? If so, how? If not, how much of a computer do I need, will this drive run if hooked up to an old, bare-bones (mobo, power supply, hard drive, processor, a little ram), windows 95 machine? Any help is greatly appreciate, even if it's just letting me know that what I want to do isn't possible.
 
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Hmm interesting. I suppose you could get an adaptor for the pumnps and control thingy to connect it to a wall. I think you'll need a 12V (I think) output and wire it up to power the pumps and unit. What is it your trying to cool?
 
Trying to make a water distillation machine (eventually solar powered...hopefully), not that it hasn't been done before, just one of those science fair type things (half senior project, half because i want to). Which rails would actually be recieving voltage here, all four? (running everything from fans to radiators and a pump) Can I just buy AC to DC adapters for each voltage, plug all four in, and constantly have the correct voltage being transferred to each rail? I assume the current to the device is constant, but I dont want to be wrong and fry the thing. Does a regular power supply constantly send the appropriate voltage through each wire to each corresponding rail, or does it know where there's a demand for it and send it accordingly? I assume the first, since there isn't any input going to it, but I'm also pretty oblivious to how the hardware actually works. Thanks.
I would use a regular water pump, but most i've found are submersible and/or are almost as expensive as this entire unit (and I'd still have to buy the radiator and make a holding tank too because of the size of other pumps). Also, if I can get this to work out, it will save me a lot of headaches that would come with making the whole system myself.
Also, I just so happen to have stumbled upon what seems like a computer cooling system that comes with a pump w/a regular plugin, which I may go with.
It's just that....
It's immeasurably uglier, and $30 more, and there is a lot more to mount on the machine.
 
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If I'm correct, what will make stuff blow out is putting to much voltage. If all that stuff requires 12V, then just make sure that the adapter gives 12V DC and can supply enough amps to the different parts and you will be able to connect them all on the same adapter.

Someone please back me up to confirm this.
 
So you think I can buy one 12v adapter, connect it to all four rails, and it will run? Aren't the other rails lower voltage though? Do I even need the lower voltage rails, or are they just there so that the typical power supply connector will fit, meaning the three lower voltage rails can be left untouched? Just being careful, I'm reallyyyyy tight on money right now, and shouldn't be doing this at all. My twisted sense of fun...
 
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I don't know if the cooling system is using the 5V or 3.3V. There should have some sort of information on the unit it self, mabe...

Someone know for sure?
 
I'm calling Kingwin first thing tommorow morning to figure out which voltages this device uses, still a little bit insecure about the whole thing though. I'll ask their people if it sounds like a good idea. One other issue, no adapters I find will fit the rail, so how should I join the rail and adapter end? is a wire running from the end of the adapter to the rail coming out of the back of the drive sufficient? (should I solder it or what?) Thanks for the help, sniperchang, and preemtively for anyone else that can contribute.

Oh yea, this may sound like a stupid question, but looking at the back of the drive, which rail is the 12v? I assume it's lowest voltage at the left, with highest at the right, but I really don't know.
And I don't think the radiator itself uses any power (you can buy just the radiator, and none have cords, it's just water in, water out), it's the fans, pump, and lcd display that require electricity.

I suppose I could buy the 12v adapter, hook it up to the 12v rail, and see what runs. If it all runs, great. If nothing runs, I take it back and buy an adapter for the next lowest voltage rail, and try that one. If some of it works, then I keep the 12v, and buy the next lowest too. And so on, until I know which adapters/rails actually power stuff.
 
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Alright, New train of thought

I think I have the solution
Run an old power supply on it.
http://www.webhelp.org/jonnyguru/atx/
-how to start up a power supply w/out a mobo!
I have plenty of old power supplies, I'm gonna try this and see if it works, even though i'm a little iffy on the paperclip thing.
definitely gonna have to make a connecting device for that, something other than a paperclip, but if it works it's definitely the simplest way.

Let me know if this sounds like a bad idea...with the exception of the paperclip part, which i'm gonna fix.
 
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einstein4513 said:
I think I have the solution
Run an old power supply on it.
http://www.webhelp.org/jonnyguru/atx/
-how to start up a power supply w/out a mobo!
I have plenty of old power supplies, I'm gonna try this and see if it works, even though i'm a little iffy on the paperclip thing.
definitely gonna have to make a connecting device for that, something other than a paperclip, but if it works it's definitely the simplest way.

Let me know if this sounds like a bad idea...with the exception of the paperclip part, which i'm gonna fix.
Click to expand...

I should of thought of that! There's was a thread a while back about dual PSU and doing that paper clip trick was mentionned. Your ideal should work, and good luck.
 
Thanks man, I actually found that in the earlier forum.

Once I get it up and running, I'll let you know. maybe even post a pic of the whole setup...

I've got old power supplies spread all over the place in all 3 of the houses I've lived in in the past year....shouldnt have a problem finding one for this either.
 
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