Scratch Build – In Progress The Mineral Oil PC - 3/24/2011 - More leaks :(

Thanks. This is only the second big LAN I've gone to. It's usually too much trouble to take my custom cases, but I do like to go once in a while.

As for the drain, yes, there is a drain on the bottom. I was having problems with it leaking earlier because the tubing I was using was too small, but I switched to a larger size and there haven't been any more problems. It takes about 15 minutes to drain completely into 7 separate 1 gallon jugs. Refilling it takes about the same amount of time. It was a lot less hassle than I thought it was going to be.

More pics!


My neighbor at the lan getting some rest after a hard day's action. He was the loudest snorer I have ever heard.


I left Sunday morning at ~9AM. Most of the folks were still asleep. I had to pull off the highway once because my eyes were starting to get droopy. Over the 3 days, I think I managed to fit in 7-8 hours of sleep.


Some of the people were smart and brought inflatable mattresses. I'll definitely be doing this if I go again, my sleeping bag on the ground wasn't exactly the most comfortable setup.


I made another panorama before leaving. This one is almost a 360.

Overall, it was a fun time but I don't know if I want to lug around the oil cooled PC again. I need a SFF shuttle PC or something for lans.

 

That carpet is just delicious.

 

Indeed.

 

thats standard issue carpet for all lan parties, why is it always the same everywhere!

 

Final Photo Shoot

Final Photo Shoot! Click the images for a high resolution version.




























Me!

Future work on the case:
Buy and install 2 SSDs and submerge them in the oil.
Attach the reset button.
Attach the power LED.
Connect the wire for the power to the LEDs in the feet.
Installs a few CCFL's above the radiators but below the tank.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me through the 3 month break!

To finish, I would like to thank my sponsors:
Crystalfontz!

The crew over at Crystalfont supplied me with the CFA-635 LCD module and UberSCAB kit that I used in this mod. Thanks! Be sure to give them a look.

Petra's Tech Shop!

I'd like to thank Alex Venz for the support by means of a discount and answering my questions. PTS also be supplied a XSPC RX360 Radiator free of charge. Check them out, it's always a good idea to support the smaller shops over big retailers like NewEgg.

 

nice pics!

I would assume you had lots of "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" at the LAN?


you did a real good job overall on the case.

now build another case!

 

I probably could never do a LAN party. Never mind the sleep deprivation, I would die if I couldn't shower every 12 hours!
And the thought of my skin coming into contact with berber carpet...*shudder*
I'm looking forward to seeing the tank under lit. It should be very lava lamp-like.

 

The second day wasn't so bad, a face-wash goes a long way towards feeling refreshed. I was feeling pretty disgusting by the third day though. The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower. This even took precedence over taking anything out of my car; computer, oil, anything.

Thanks, to be honest, it wasn't a whole lot of people. It was dark in the hall 24/7 and my case does not have illumination. I wasn't in a particularly well traveled section of the lan either. Still, some folks walking by did a double take

 

Well done on on a great project!

 

A little suggestion I've been pondering.


Try diffusing the (soon to be) lighting at different intensities to see if you can contrast the currents and eddies against the standing oil.

 

I was considering different color lights in the top of the case than the bottom. Like white in top and red in the bottom. Any ideas on how to diffuse it?

Thanks!

Also, I weighed the case finally! Empty (actually with about a gallon or so of oil), the computer weighs 72lbs. Filled with 6.5 more gallons of oil (46lbs), the total is ~118lbs. Which is a little less than I thought, but still a lot. For you metric minded folk, this is 53.5kg. I could probably add another gallon of oil (7.4lbs), which would bring the total to 125lb.

 

+rep

 

Very nice work mate, turned out beautifully, fantastic work. Love the design and absolutely love the finished product.

 

Thanks for your support throughout!

 

amazing build and incredible workmanship.

Keep up the good work and if you ever get bored with it, PM me

 

Ahh, okay, getting you and the other submerged thread mixed up!! Sweet setup by the way!

 

So...... I bought 2 red CCFLs. Hotttttt. These are all CLICK FOR BIG. The first pic especially looks nice in the original resolution.










The lighting is much more even in reality. The rear of the case gets more light than the pics show.

 

The red really sets it off, I thought white would have looked awesome but the red looks good also.

 

Oh, Man! I forgot about the little bubbles. I bet they look awesome lit up. -like embers in a fire.

 

Very nice.