If your Raspberry Pi is running a bit hot you can add a few hunks of salvaged heat sink, or you can go all out and machine your own water cooling system.
Remember when everyone had a giant desktop computer which was a perfect receptacle for cool lighting effects and somewhat ridiculous cooling systems? Relive that experience with [Phame’s] multi-page forum post that serves as the build log. With the exception of the tiny pump itself, this one’s a fully custom job.
The image on the left shows the machined parts being tried on for side. There is a slug which contacts the ICs on the RPi board, conducting the heat to the chambers inside through which the liquid will flow. The upright rectangular enclosure serves as the reservoir which dissipates the collected heat as the water flows through it. The image on the right shows the finished project. It uses the power pins on the GPIO header to drive the pump.
[Thanks PL via Bit-Tech]
cool
Probably the most stupid thing i’ve ever seen done to a Pi, but kudos for the build quality!
Why do it, for the looks
If you’re going to do it, may as well over do it! Love the fact that he “roughed out” the channels with a 2mm end mill! A lot of milling would finish with a 2mm end mill.
Hi, it says “The image on the left shows the finished project.”, but it should say “The image on the right”. Not trying to be a grammar nazi here, but it’s the only way I can help this site right now. Oh and nice build BTW, might be useful for extreme overclocking?
Thanks, fixed.
Not sure how extreme you can get with overclocking as the critical part here doesn’t actually contact the CPU. The top of the RPi is the RAM chip, and the CPU sits under it with an airgap.
That said this build is insane, it’s a work of art!
Spellcheck is not a substitute for proofreading.
It’s like putting nitrous on a lawn mower but well done sir, well done.
Nah, a watercooled laptop would be like nitrous on a lawn mower.
I think this is more like nitrous on a weed eater or maybe on a gas powered sidewalk edger.
it looks horrible…
ok, i can only lie so long, i’m completely jealous, even if it serves no purpose
Not necessarily that it “serves no purpose”, rather “overkill for this purpose”.
Yeah, this is some pretty legit machining.
The gold plating is over the top.
nicely done.
i think he is up for overcklocking records!
Why not use raspberry juice for the coolant?
Corrosive i’m afraid. It would eat away at the milled metal parts.
Except that the milled parts are gold plated. It’s the other parts that would need worrying about.
Has anyone ever tried throwing a Pi into a liquid nitrogen or liquid helium?
Awesome overkill. I love the use of the pink “raspberry” coolant.
Sure it’s overkill, but it’s done so darn WELL!
Overkill?!!? SO FSCKING WHAT?!?! THIS IS EPIC!!! By the way guys you NEVER need a reason to liquid-cool anything…why WOULDN’T you want this?!
I love a good overkill in the morning!
Still… why isn’t the fluid something fluorescent, illuminated with pulsating UV LEDs? With a mound of miniature skulls and skeletons in the fluid reservoir.
Overkill should always be done right.
When you have the machine tools, no project is to ridiculous to have an excuse to use them. I’d be more impressed if everything was orientated to create a thermosyphon eliminating the need for a pump.
“Remember when everyone had a giant desktop computer”
Yes. I also remember people predicting the end of the desktop PC, because all they ever did was internet and videos, so they couldn’t imagine why anyone would want a desktop. I was expecting a more realistic view from Hackaday.
very nice! this was inspiration for my water cooled raspberry pi build: http://finniss.net/water-cooled-raspberry-pi/