Forum member Phame’s entry into Bit-Tech’s Raspberry Pi case competition results in a detail oriented water-cooling system design for the mini PC.(via Bit-Tech forum)
The Raspberry Pi, the Linux box sporting a 700 MHz ARM processor, safely operates at overclocked “turbo” mode speeds up to 1 GHz without voiding the product’s warranty. Although a highly capable and external module ready microprocessing board, it still does not reach too high of a temperature to warrant an intricate cooling system. Nonetheless, inspired by a recent RPi case competition, bit-tech forum member Phame through his name into the fray with a masterfully crafted RPi water-cooled system.
The design, well documented by fame on the bit-tech forums, was quickly modeled to fit the tiny PC board on CAD software. The custom cooling loop consists of an aluminum water block that sits atop the board’s processor, an aluminum and acrylic based reservoir, a micro pump, a series of tube fittings, and custom mounting brackets. Phame’s arduous effort took hours of milling, polishing, sanding, testing, and detailing - including a logo engraving on the reservoir.
A micropump, powered directly by the Pi, is used to move the raspberry colored coolant across the aluminum block and around the backside of the Pi, held up by laser cut aluminum holders. The reservoir and block are both mounted using the boards existing mounting holes. A special HDMI adapter was built to create the necessary space for Phame’s custom block, which would soon be plated with 24 carat gold.
Even at its overclocked configuration, there is no need for such an impressive cooling system - but Phame’s design is nothing to scoff at. He eventually plans to push the Pi’s processor speed upwards of 1.2GHz to really test out the cooling system’s capability though it currently does not contain a radiator to release heat from the fluid.
It would be interesting to see similar designs being tested on the recent string of microprocessor boards that easily surpass the RPi’s processing power. Until then, we can marvel at Phame’s creative wonder brought on by intense dedication to micro-tech innovation.
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