View Full Version : Got my compressor
Lotec25
04-11-2004, 03:24 PM
Ok i was out today and found an old mini fridge for 15 dollars. I picked it up brought it home and it runs great. I gotta pick up some more hose and insulation. I got my cooler i am going to use to put it in. Ill start posting pics soon. Got to get everything together. I do have one question. Should i hook it up to run all the time and just unplug it or should i leave the switch on it?
Lotec25
Lotec25
04-11-2004, 03:37 PM
ok here is a pic of the compressor
Lotec25
04-11-2004, 03:38 PM
and here is a pic of the cooler i am going to use. The way the evaporator is bent it fits perfect so far.
Lotec25
afireinside
04-11-2004, 07:08 PM
You mean evaporator is bent not condensor right?
Minifridges arnt built to be run 24/7 or with high heatloads. Get a freezer or window AC unless you want it to burn out...
Lotec25
04-11-2004, 07:38 PM
yes i do mean evaporator my fault.
Gary Lloyd
04-11-2004, 08:11 PM
Actually, any compressor can run 24/7 if tuned properly.
Lotec25
04-11-2004, 08:18 PM
Gary Lloyd,
What i was thinking is adding a fan to the coils to keep them cool. And then tuning it down i am using a small cooler so i am not going to have to cool it that much. Will the fans help at all or is it a waste?
Lotec25
Çhrist0ph
04-12-2004, 09:07 PM
i almost got one of those refridgerators too, but i found out the compressor was only 140 BTU! IMHO, it really isnt worth it. get a window ac if you really want to chill.
btw: how did you get the freezer tray/evaporator out of the fridge?
another reason why i didnt get a mini-fridge is because i had no idea how to get the evaporator out of the fridge.
Gary Lloyd
04-12-2004, 11:03 PM
What i was thinking is adding a fan to the coils to keep them cool.
Yes, increasing airflow through the condenser will help.
Lotec25
04-13-2004, 06:04 AM
I cut the fridge with a saw. Came out preety easy actually. I know it is not a window A/C but for 15 dollars for the refer i could not pass it up. I have been talking to someone and he said he got his to cool to -20C. If i find a window A/C unit cheap ill get it.
And Gary thanks.
Lotec25
Çhrist0ph
04-13-2004, 11:44 AM
so, there was nothing in the walls of the fridge? I thought there might of been evap tubes runnning up and down throughtout the fridge. I'll see how yours works out, and maybe ill pick one up.
i could get it a lot cheaper than a window AC unit.
This one was a 1/12th hp mini. It hit -27c but recovery was slow. Depending on how high you OC will determine how long you can run at heavy loads. With my DLT3C 1700@2725mhz/2.2v i could run for as long as i wanted as long as the load was light but only about an hour or so of heavy benching. That was cooling the cpu gpu & NB so if you only cooled the cpu it would last longer. good luck. :thumbsup:
Originally posted by Çhrist0ph
so, there was nothing in the walls of the fridge? I thought there might of been evap tubes runnning up and down throughtout the fridge. I'll see how yours works out, and maybe ill pick one up.
i could get it a lot cheaper than a window AC unit.
In a mini fridge/freezer the evap is the freezer . the lines run up the back wall . where they enter the case, so you only have to watch when you cut the case around the lines.
Lotec25
04-13-2004, 12:50 PM
Yep just like vlad said the tubbing runs up the outside of the back of the fridge. and then threw a hole in the top of the back. I started at the hole in the back and cut strait threw the metal outside and the plastic inside. And then i cut it again on the side so i could rip the fridge apart and it left an opening that i could pull the freezer part out. Took about 10 min total to take screws out and cut it.
Lotec25
Çhrist0ph
04-13-2004, 01:17 PM
vlad, did you tune your chiller?
All i did was insulate the lines to & from the comp and play with the mix in the cooler, When it was done i was running 4gal denatured alcohol & 1 gal propolene glycol .
chilly1
04-13-2004, 02:04 PM
Cool looks like a scifi show I saw once.... "The computer devouring robot from palanet X" lol cool setup vlad.. how's your temps???
Originally posted by chilly1
Cool looks like a scifi show I saw once.... "The computer devouring robot from palanet X" lol cool setup vlad.. how's your temps???
:rotf: Beleave it or not my load temp with that chiller were better then with my prommie MKI (bone stock) The same chip that i got 2725mhz (Vcore limited by my Epox) would only do 2650mhz with the MKI. All those "Robot arms come from a single 625gph pond pump with a seprate return from each waterblock. It worked well enought that with no load the board 2" around the chipset would condensate, But i sealed it and the videocard so i never had any problems.:)
Çhrist0ph
04-13-2004, 03:45 PM
how long did it take to cool down after startup?
I always left the chiller on so it was always at temp, i would just turn the comp off. But if the chiller was at ambent it would an hour or so to reach low temp.
After about an hour of heavy benching the liquid temp would drop to -15c or so and i'd have to stop benching and let it idle or shut down till the temps lowered again. :)
Çhrist0ph
04-13-2004, 07:22 PM
so if liquid temps ranged from -27c to -15c, what kind of temps was the cpu running at?
If i remember right when i first fired her up it was -4c idle then would taper off to around 0c & by the time i stopped benching it would be around +10/+12. This was measured with MBM & the chiller barrel temp was measured with a Taylor indoor/outdoor home temp gauge so take
i figure its +/- a little. That chiller has been offline for awhile now. I built a new one using a 6000btu AC, So far its max low has been around -43c & recovery is very quick, Its not online yet because im looking for a better pump, The pond pump im using would squeal for a few seconds when fired at -27c so -43c may kill it.