Project Illuminated - XtremeSystems Tribute

[bianco]

Oh don't worry about going ot... usually I end up doing that more than anyone else in my own threads i think... har.

Anyway, yes that is my own backyard, it's a 16KW solar array and powers every last gadget I own. In fact the power meter is always spinning backwards, even on cloudy winter days. The electric company in the area of California where my house is has had an extremely solid incentive program for people, paying them back half the cost of their installations... And when we're talking $140,000 installs, $70,000 is a lot more appealing price tag.

A lot of people simply can't imagine spending that much money on an array and say things like "it will take years to pay for itself", stuff like that... I tell them that's not true, because the money you're now spending monthly to pay off your solar array will be about the same as what you were paying for monthly electricity anyway, accept this way your're:
1) Increasing the value of your property.
2) Increasing your own security when it comes to things like natural disaster when the electric grid goes down. In my situation I have a well, without power to pump the water out I wouldn't be able to get any water, that sort of thing.
3) You're literally reducing your carbon footprint by tons a month and thus helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.

I list number 3 last when speaking to people because it's usually the last thing on their minds, especially during "hard times" such as some/many are experiencing right now. Anyhow, I was fortunate enough to be able to pay for it all out right, this is obviously is the better choice so you don't have to pay interest on a loan of any kind. Regardless, in my opinion if you have the ability, investing in alternative energy sources such as PV arrays is as good as gold.

I'm working on some software in my spare spare time right now that will allow me to post statistics concerning my own array to the web for live monitoring, provide data like "how many tons of carbon has been offset, how many trees it would take to plant to do the same thing, how many miles of driving time have been nullified by having an array"... stuff like that.

A little while back I spent an evening making a small javascript app that you may find interesting/scary: You can have a look at that at www.carbonmeter.info (I've only tested it in firefox and am guessing it may have trouble in IE... I hate programming web apps for IE... EDIT: Just checked IE8 using winxp pro 64-bit, surprisingly seems to work.)

How's that for going OT? harhar.

wonderful info and admire your dedication to saving the environment.
at least you won't feel guilty powering up your system
pretty interesting app and site too

[xaxis]

looks like this is gonna be amazing!!!

just in spirit with the xtreme my vote goes for individual loop for each gpu....

cant wait to see this come together looks like itll be awesome !

You know, this was my first instinct before I thought of anything else.

Then I realized that I would need to mount the radiators horizontally instead of vertically (which for some reason I was expecting to do)... So then I started thinking that the symmetry of things would be of... It's totally subjective I know, but I'm just not sure if all that tubing going across from one side would be attractive. On the motherboard tray (which is an EATX tray) I intend on making "drain holes" through where the tubing and connect and disconnect (but that's not why I'm doing it) .. I just think it will look very clean to route the tubing through the motherboard tray itself as apposed to curving it over the edges... Also, I think someone said that I wouldn't be able to fit the tubing and attachments in the space required with all three cards. I disagree with this and know exactly how I would do it.

Anyhow, thanks for bringing it up because lately I have kinda put that possibility out of my mind and I most certainly want to keep all my options open.

[masska]

great to see your dedication and thoughts on the environment xaxis.

hopefully one day soon I'll be in a position to set up a humungus (huge) solar array myself.

[xaxis]

Oh I can only say that I'm very fortunate and I know so many others that would do the same if they could. I really hope the current administration in the US makes a huge effort to truly once and for all stop our reliance on foreign oil imports by funding massive solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro electric energy production plants/farms/facilities/whatever. ... Aside from the politics of everything if I was more concerned I suppose I wouldn't be buying and building the things that I do. I bicycle everywhere but because of all the things I order online I bet I'm causing just as much if not more production of carbon as I would if I did use a car and didn't have this hobby.

Also, in the states it seems everyone has a lawn, including myself ... all the mowing, mowing, mowing every week... IMO it's one the most ridiculous of carbon producing activities (ideas) ever conceived. I started planting bamboo and other extremely aggressive mediterranean vegitation over (aprox) half acre near the back of the property in an attempt to eventually create a jungle with the intent of it taking over all the land it can. It requires watering of course. One day I hope it takes over the entire property... let it grow in through the windows and doors of the house, hell I don't care, just as long as I don't have to see or mow a lawn again!
I've also been researching genetic engineering and horticulture in general to see if a grass could be produced that grows to a desired height, stays at that height unless damaged, at which point it grows back to that same height, so that mowing would become a laughed upon relic of the past... Of course I realize that this idea is insane and knowing me it would more than likely by some whim end up being a carnivorous grass that sought only the taste of humans. That might not be such a bad idea either.

I guess I should shut up and go sleeve some power cords...

great to see your dedication and thoughts on the environment xaxis.

hopefully one day soon I'll be in a position to set up a humungus (huge) solar array myself.

[masska]

Your very passionate mate and that is so good to see.
Don’t underestimate or undervalue your ideas though. It all starts from a thought and the motivation to go forward.
Our government here in Australia seems to be back peddling all the time when it comes to the environment, renewable energy and sustainable practices.
But hey, let’s hope the next generation of pollies have better sense and responsibility to lead their people and take care of our Mother Earth.

Now back to your sleaving, expecting an update and more pics soon

[shazza]

Thanks for the info on your solar array ... my father always had dreams of doing something like that. Since you have your own power source, you can set up this new rig to do some wonderful crunching or folding for research, and not have to worry about the extra power it's using!

Keep the updates coming.

[NaeKuh]

16KW solar array :O

how big is that?

[armeniandave]

Umm really friggin big!!!!!!!

One of my goals in the next 5 years is to go solar for the house.
If you guys and girls could please buy a lot of brackets then I
could do it a little quicker!!!!

[alphadog009]

You know, this was my first instinct before I thought of anything else.

Then I realized that I would need to mount the radiators horizontally instead of vertically (which for some reason I was expecting to do)... So then I started thinking that the symmetry of things would be of... It's totally subjective I know, but I'm just not sure if all that tubing going across from one side would be attractive. On the motherboard tray (which is an EATX tray) I intend on making "drain holes" through where the tubing and connect and disconnect (but that's not why I'm doing it) .. I just think it will look very clean to route the tubing through the motherboard tray itself as apposed to curving it over the edges... Also, I think someone said that I wouldn't be able to fit the tubing and attachments in the space required with all three cards. I disagree with this and know exactly how I would do it.

Anyhow, thanks for bringing it up because lately I have kinda put that possibility out of my mind and I most certainly want to keep all my options open.

i think that the individual loop style may take a little bit of work to get really clean but i think that it can look really really really cool if done right i say go for it man

also with this grouped style i think the benefits of having such a large group of radiators is sort of diminished... with an individual style, i say that the performance will also be over the top. something to think about if you dont want both inlet and outlet tubes to be seen is to have an inlet from the back of the mother board above the pci slots and then have the outlet going across the mobo... if you need a better explanation please ask

anyways can't wait to see whats next and the fan grills look great

[NaeKuh]

Umm really friggin big!!!!!!!

im just trying to do the math..

200W panels... u need 5 for 1kw... and x 16 = 80 panels..

:O

[Pedalmonkey]

and how big would those said 200w panels be?

[3Z3VH]

To anyone who plans to go all solar for their house, I would take the effort RIGHT NOW to start monitoring the total power usage for your house, including peak, average, and low power usage. As an added step, you may even want to set up an anemometer, with a digital logging system, on your roof to see if possibly wind power would be more advantageous, or even a hybrid wind/solar power system.

At least an entire year's worth of data is best so you see how much power you use for all 4 seasons.

This sort of data will not only help you plan the capacity for your system, but also will help you learn how to conserve power before you begin to rely on the panels.

Also, see what your utility company has for options with a grid-tied system. Many times you can sell your surplus power BACK to the grid, and get a CREDIT on your power bills. A grid tied system will also save you a LOT of money up-front since you don't have to buy banks of batteries and monitoring gear.

Finally, before you even research solar power, please realize that for efficiency-sake, you will save a LOT more money, and fossil fuels switching to a Solar Heat system, than you would switching to a Photovoltaic system for your house. If you plan to do both, by all means, but at least check out both options.

and how big would those said 200w panels be?

Well, your typical 170W panel is about 2 foot by 4 foot.

[alphadog009]

theres a lockheed martin near my school that has set up a nearly 300 foot long solar array... it is absolutely amazing it tilts to face the sun as it moves across the sky... quite a sight to see it in one position in the morning and in a totally different position in the afternoon going home...

[xaxis]

im just trying to do the math..

200W panels... u need 5 for 1kw... and x 16 = 80 panels..

:O

Your right and wrong.

There are different types of measurements concerning photo voltaics power production. "One Peak Sun" per STC (standard test condition) of 1000 watts per square meter irradiance and 25 C cell temperature represent the optimal means for measuring though rarely are these conditions valid in outside real world settings and yet these ratings will be the watt output (STC) you will see on the outside of every PV cell produced by every manufacture. You see the factors that determine a given cell's performance I-V curve (showing the relationship between current and voltage production, I*V=W) is is a bell shape every day. Meaning current is produced over a wide range of voltages and naturally your total energy output (wattage) follows this same I-V curve every day. In other words you start out with a 0KW array before dawn, maybe a 11KW array around 9 or 10 (depending on the time of year) and likewise a peak (what one genuinely ends up describing their array as, in my case 16KW) at another point in the day based again on the time of year and time of day...

Now to make matters more confusing, Vmp or maximum power point which is the point in time of maximum energy output within an STC, is also another common defacto rating of cells.

Really though it's quite intuitive once you can simply read the results, it can be quite confusing however to predict (really not so much so, just takes some time and reading).

Excluding sun tracking arrays which provide a somewhat to mediocre output gain, it's obvious that as the sun is lower in the sky your cells will not going to produce their maximum potential, which is almost never the "maximum potential" in the first place. So what does this all mean? Well, in my case it means 84 x 220 watt cells = 16KW (real maximum output) ... not 18.48KW as the math based on standards in ratings would suggest. So are we being lied to by PV companies? No. All the information regarding what I just said will come with any PV cell. All they are saying is that under perfect conditions a given cell will produce the resulting value. And they're right, they would, it's just that those conditions rarely exist and when they do it's only for a short portion of the day with the right weather conditions during the correct time of year...
Har.. I should say, I love talking about PV stuff so I've decided this may as well be part of my build log talk... after all, this is my Power Supply, is it not?

[xaxis]

i think that the individual loop style may take a little bit of work to get really clean but i think that it can look really really really cool if done right i say go for it man

also with this grouped style i think the benefits of having such a large group of radiators is sort of diminished... with an individual style, i say that the performance will also be over the top. something to think about if you dont want both inlet and outlet tubes to be seen is to have an inlet from the back of the mother board above the pci slots and then have the outlet going across the mobo... if you need a better explanation please ask

anyways can't wait to see whats next and the fan grills look great

I have to say I appreciate your ideas given and I can't wait until I get the case. At that point I think a lot of ... well, everyones ideas and points that are being made will become so much clearer. It's the "a picture is worth a 1000 words kind of thing I guess" ...

To change the subject a little, I'm really really getting close to just purchasing two 295s and ditching the three 285s. I was informed by Eddy that he won't even be getting the revised 285 PCB to start working on the new water blocks until next Monday... and from that point I have no idea how long it will take to actually see 285 EK water blocks (rev 2) in a store anywhere. Does anyone think I should just go with the 295s and the 295 blocks or am I perhaps being to hasty?

[armeniandave]

There is some new hardware coming down the pipes so you might want to wait just a little longer. I did see a 295 that was on one board from the computex show. BTW if you want to throw one of the 285's away I have a trashcan........

[alphadog009]

ahh isn't that everyones question??? haha good luck because its the debate of the year i think... i guess for starters, what do you do most of the time with your computer?? if gaming, i guess 285s but if folding etc, 295s, either way, 295's are extremely impressive in their own right, but 285's for pure screaming power....

again, this is me on an "xtreme" mode...
the asus mars- dual 285's in 295 configuration = 285's in quad sli.... total beast

but theres only a limited number, around 1000??? i think.... check it out HERE

[xaxis]

There is some new hardware coming down the pipes so you might want to wait just a little longer. I did see a 295 that was on one board from the computex show. BTW if you want to throw one of the 285's away I have a trashcan........

Yeah, by the time I've finished this project to a reasonable extent (hoping no longer than 1.5 months from now) I'll probably end up replacing most if not all the computer hardware... I've been looking real hard at the Asus P6T7 WS Supercomputer. My current workstation is the P6T6 Revolution and while I'm not a folder I do enjoy dabbling in GPGPU (CUDA and StreamSDK) as far as cryptanalysis is concerned... and I think that board would finally be the perfect fit for my 4 4870X2s as far as bandwidth concurrency and some other issues I've been having are concerned. 8 GPUs of stream computing glory that would annihilate FASTRA Project! As far as your garbage can is concerned... sounds fine, as long as I get to ship it via semi-autonomous VTOL home made composite carbon fiber prototype aircraft with fan jet/ion lifter propulsion engines and real time laptop retina projected HUD we've gotta a deal... cuz I've been meaning to get rid of that too.

ahh isn't that everyones question??? haha good luck because its the debate of the year i think... i guess for starters, what do you do most of the time with your computer?? if gaming, i guess 285s but if folding etc, 295s, either way, 295's are extremely impressive in their own right, but 285's for pure screaming power....

again, this is me on an "xtreme" mode...
the asus mars- dual 285's in 295 configuration = 285's in quad sli.... total beast

but theres only a limited number, around 1000??? i think.... check it out HERE

Yeah the sad part is I would probably actually try and get one if I had a chance... but yeah. Thinking there somehow already sold to those who rub shoulders/elbows/err.. whatever it takes to rub to get a vid card like that, the best.

[xaxis]

Yet another possible grill candidate. As you can see armeniandave improved airflow quite a bit compared to my original design which was pretty darn restrictive. Haven't determined if or where or how to implement a logo on this one yet. As always, would be happy for feedback.

This was the original I posted (for reference):

[xaxis]

And another w/ circular logo and "standard" grill design for reference. Recall whatever is chosen, the grill with the logo on it will be the 3x3 front grill with the logo positioned top and center.

EDIT: Personally I think I'm starting to lean towards armeniandave's original design due to the symmetry and minimalistic elegance (and I think better air flow). Opinions?

[xaxis]

So, I decided on the final design and layout for all the grills. I went with armeniandave's original design for the its symmetry, elegant minimalism, and increased air flow.



The "logo" cutout with just the XS letters is the better choice for a number of reasons, but mainly I think it just looks better.

[xaxis]

Notice the wire cut-outs near the bottom which will allow me to route the pump and possible lighting wires nice and cleanly.

[xaxis]

Top Panel Grill


MM Ascension & MM Pedestal 24 Back Panel Grill


MM Pedestal 24 Side Panel Grills


MM Ascension Back Panel & MoBo Tray Grills


There will be 2 of most of the grills made, 1 for inside, 1 for outside. The bottom pedestal 24 won't receive double grills. It will 2 1x4s and 1 1x3 all for the outside.

I promise I'll post some more "exciting" pictures soon. I thought these were exciting, but that's a different story it seems.

[alphadog009]

wow nice designs ! kudos to armeniandave
really good airflow and its not overdoing the xtremesystems thing... i like it!

[xaxis]

wow nice designs ! kudos to armeniandave
really good airflow and its not overdoing the xtremesystems thing... i like it!

Thanks alphadog...
I second that (naturally). Unlimited quantity of kudos to armeniandave!

CALLING ALL GRAPHICS ARTIST?!?!?!?
Okay, so with the minimal risk of annoying people by asking again, here it goes: If there is anyone who wants to see their work on the acrylic side panels (laser etched) I'm desperately looking for a talented artist to collaborate with on the centered 'Project Illuminated' logo. And really by talented I just mean anyone who's better than me (which is probably includes your average 3 year old) ... Right now I'm thinking like this crazy radial burst supernova type thing dominating the middle in all its potential glory, with bright white/blue tinted light gushing through the back of the acrylic. Underneath this imagined piece of art work in some unknown yet perfectly fitting font, simply 'Project Illuminated' .... and of course, somewhere affixed to all of that would be placed the artists signature.

Now, I know I'm asking a lot, but I gotta say guys, when it comes to graphics art, you might as well have me finger paint a design with mud and used oil... Do you guys really want to see this potential beautiful build become the laughing stock of all the Internet connected universe on account of my pathetic graphics skills? Well I'm guessing, and understandably, most don't care.. har.. but think of it another way... If you make a cool logo/design type thingy... I'll give you all the appreciation I can muster plus my biggest smile too.

Anyone? .... Okay, I'll shut up about it now.