Charles Capps
We appreciate your concern. It is noted and stupid.
Member # 9
posted
It seems that this summer is going to be quite a scortcher.
This is a Bad Thing.
A Very Bad Thing.
Because it seems that my new compy is VERY heat sensitive.
It was 85 today. Outside. About 80 inside. The average summer temp. in Moron Hell is about 93. The average interior temperature of our house in the summer is about 85. If my compy is giving me error messages up the ass when operating at 80 degrees, I don't think it'll even BOOT when it's 85! I'm only here now because I took the cover off and pointed a fan at the innards, but I doubt that will help later this year.
Anyone know how expensive window AC units are?
------------------ "Okay, so I'm not "SANE" so to speak, but uh... I'm the lovable kind of psycho" http://solareclipse.net/
posted
I'd start scanning the pawn shops now, if price is an object.
Window-mount A/C units range from a little less than $200 on up, depending upon how powerful they are. If there's a Wal-Mart nearby, I'd check there first (or a K-mart, but I don't know if they carry air conditioners).
--Baloo
------------------ How do I do it? I have an advantage. I remember how to open a dictionary.
posted
Until we got full-house A/C, we kept the computer in the basement (of course, our basement is a furnished game room. Keeping it on a dirt floor with no furniture would probably suck.)
Charles Capps
We appreciate your concern. It is noted and stupid.
Member # 9
posted
Alas, we have no basement.
I was corrected by the weatherman, though - it wasn't 85 today, it was 95. I was 10 miles south, though, and didn't notice. Gotta love those winds... :-)
With luck, all I'll need are a few BIG fans.
Then again, I know a few people who make liquid nitrogen compy cooling units.
------------------ "Okay, so I'm not "SANE" so to speak, but uh... I'm the lovable kind of psycho" http://solareclipse.net/
posted
WHAT! NO CENTRAL AIR!!!!!!!! NO HEAT PUMPS!!!!!
Do this:
1) Open your refridgerator and make room for computer. 2) Being careful of the coolant coils, drill an appropiate sized hole for the power and peripheral units cables in back of refridgerator. 3) Run the cables through the hole and connect to computer. May need to move peripherals near refridgerator, or vise versa. 4) Apply silicon adhesive to the hole in back of refridgerator to prevent temperature compromise. 5) You are now ready to operate your high temperature computer in its new cooler environment.
You should be able to borrow a drill and silicon adhesive from a neighbor. Even if you have to buy them, they run a lot cheaper than a window unit. Or you could purchase Microsoft's new "AC Units for Windows" compatable for Windows 95 and Windows 98. Unfortunately that won't work with older versions of Windows and you need "Blinds for Windows v3.1" or "Window Fan for Windows NT."
------------------ IF is the middle word in Life. --Appocalypse Now
[This message was edited by Cargile on April 17, 1999.]
The First One
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed
Member # 35
posted
Actually, Cargile's idea might just work - you could pick up a small under-counter fridge second-hand and use that. Of course, I don't know if they have such things in the States - all the fridges I see there on TV seem to be virtually walk-in ones. . .
------------------ "I am greater than the stars for I know that they are up there and they do not know that I am down here." - William Temple
posted
Actually, there are small refrigerators available. The military of late has actually been putting them in the dorms (well, the Air Force, anyhow). If you buy one new, it could cost up to... well, I forget. I've seen new ones on sale for less than $175.
If your computer will fit (a tower would fit better than the other kind), you could cut a pass-through in the door for the cables and stuff it with foam to keep the cold in. This would avoid the possibility of accidentally puncturing the refrigerant lines. Home-use refrigerators don't run refrigerant through the door.
Alternatively, you could enclose the computer in an insulated box. Then you could put ducts on the refrigerator door to pipe cold air to/from the computer enclosure. Install a fan in one and you have a recirculating system. Use dryer ducting to route the cold air to/from the computer (it's cheap and easily available).
It should not be impossible to find a way to keep the computer cool. I favor the Rube-Goldberg solutions mentioned above, but I get the impression that you aren't stupid and will come up with something cost-effective.
--Baloo
------------------ How do I do it? I have an advantage. I remember how to open a dictionary.
[This message was edited by Baloo on April 17, 1999.]
posted
Mind you, If I were trying to cultivate a "Mad Scientist" image, I'd definitely go with the innovative uses for everyday objects that ducting between the computer and the fridge would represent.
Besides, you could tell people you were working on digitizing food. That way you can send food to famine areas via email, and if you really liked something, you could save it do disk for reconstitution later.
------------------ How do I do it? I have an advantage. I remember how to open a dictionary.
Charles Capps
We appreciate your concern. It is noted and stupid.
Member # 9
posted
Alas, the parental units have vetoed both the idea of a window AC unit, and probably won't agree to hacking a fridge. I'm just gonna get all the little tabletop fans in the house and aim them at the open case. :-)
Daryus: Yup, and a heatsink to large it almost didn't fit on the MB right. Unfortunately the CPU isn't the only heat-sensitive component in the system. I'm gonna be getting two slot-fans to blow around more air as well.
------------------ "Okay, so I'm not "SANE" so to speak, but uh... I'm the lovable kind of psycho" http://solareclipse.net/
[This message was edited by Charles Capps on April 17, 1999.]
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