Topic: Custom frame for BTC/LTC mining (Up to 24 GPU ) $150 - $190 - $200+ (Read 22681 times)

is this project still available or died ?

So this thread has died on the vine. Pity, it was an excellent and informative thread.

Something like this:

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/motherboard-designed-for-mining-and-better-riser-cables-in-this-thread-365181

and its awesomely designed for the  power requirements  of 6 gpu's

Lol thats really impressive..

But its funny to see high end cards of that quantity and variety being loaded on Windows 98.. should be hack proof though.. i dont think anyone in this current era of hackers would even know what to do with it?

Anyone know what kind of motherboard holds 6 ATX cards?

Doesnt look like there has been much for updates on this. I am interested in purchasing many of these if you can deliver

joining the question

very intristed in this project.please any updates?

HI,

No developments on this? It really seems like an interesting project.

regards,

P.

i don't quite get it, does this work yet or is it still in "testing phase"

This's really interesting! Please add me to the news mail-list.

Hi everybody,

I'm open to all suggestions. But I would like the parts we use to build the frame to be widely available.

Extracting 4000-5000W of heat is not going to be easy, no doubt about that. The air cooling is going to be the hardest way to do so, and this is why I'm looking at various options. I just order this fan:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-05-Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-Radiator-Cooling-Fan-Assembly-NEW-/130632543695?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3AChrysler&hash=item1e6a4e6dcf&vxp=mtr
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/01-05-Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-Radiator-Cooling-Fan-Assembly-NEW-/00/s/MTIwMFgxMjAw/z/TnIAAMXQuu9RjLtl/$T2eC16R,!zcE9s4g3JJwBRjLtlIWq!~~60_57.JPG
I will give it a try and see how well it performs.
Here is what I found for it:
Cooling Fan Assembly with Ø415mm Universal, Suitable for Chrysler PT Cruiser
# Power: 150 and 180W
# DC voltage: 12V
So I can expect it to pull roughly 15A.
I'll run a few test and report back as soon as I get some results!

Just a note.   Some of us here honestly trying to offer you suggestions have studied heat transfer and worked in the field.

And yes, it is rocket science.

Fridges come in all sizes...

and as for your statement... "I would love to see what happens in the insulated enclosure if the fan stops working, this would be very interesting."

Same thing that would happen in an open-air design... if the fan stops working... It shuts-down that card, or the whole rig. In my 25-plus years, building electronics, I have NEVER had a fan "die". I don't buy cheap crap fans from china... I also don't use stock crap fans.

As for an enclosure, which would actually be better suited for your design. Try a large microwave. Junkyards are full of them for free. Larger... upgrade to a dryer-machine, and gut-it... larger, use a chest-fridge (remove the insulation if you desire, it is just foam.)

All I was saying is you are building a "core" without consideration for any actual evacuation of heat. That unit will hold 3000+Watts , heating a whole house in minutes.

Hot air does NOT only exhaust out the end of a card. It exhausts in all directions, which is why they expect you to contain it, and evacuate it with additional wattage-sucking fans. (hidden costs)

Or, you contain the cards, like I do, in a shell... rip off the PSU/mobo/vid-card-powered fans, and use ONE external 120v/240v fan to replace them all. That makes more power available to the graphics, and system, and provides quiet and better structured cooling that actually works.

Your hidden cost, is all the expensive stuff that is beyond the "frame". For the frame, $150 is a great price. But that isn't a "turn-key" frame, and still requires additional setup, install, and building. If they can manage that other building, then I am sure they can manage building the simple frame.

Still, you are "manufacturing" based on "theory"... Thus... show it populated, and working. (Funny that you keep showing a "failed project" as an example. That was never working either. The one which was half-loaded, because he couldn't get all 16 cards working on one motherboard. Completely unrelated to your build.)

If the cards have a shroud, and evacuation, you can remove the existing shrouds and place them 1mm apart. Stock, it is best to spread them, so they can MIX air better, thus, mixing more cool air with the hot exhaust it is spewing in all directions. (Which then, still has to be evacuated, now that it is mixed with half hot/cool air.)

FIRST PRE TESTING RESULTS / PRE BETA
Hi Everybody, I'm happy to report that everything is going fairly well and that the first results are positive.
I so far mounted 4 Cards (7950 Gigabyte WF3 with F43 BIOS, BAMT), 5th coming this afternoon. I found the following.
Depending on ambient air temperature (tested at 17-18C outside), I got the thing stable at 67C-72C, 1080W. Hashes average for testing 580-600 kH/s .
For cooling, I used a 24" industrial fan (low speed) which only really pushes air on the edge (design flaw), which is not good at all. It seems a shroud would help a lot to push the air in between the cards and not around the frame.
I'm going to see if I can get some space to allow the cards to stay correctly positioned. Right now, I used a foam spacer otherwise some of them touches (you'll understand when you see the pictures).
Posting again soon.

The 5 cards setup so far. Waiting for #6 and some special parts to customize the rack.
http://www.awtti.com/images/LTCrig1.JPGhttp://www.awtti.com/images/LTCrig2.JPGhttp://www.awtti.com/images/LTCrig3.JPG
http://www.awtti.com/images/LTCrig4.JPG

The first test will be on the bare frame. I'm still waiting on the acrylic trays.
As soon as they are made, I will mount them him and redo some testing to make sure it is not affecting the airflow. I did make a modification onto them to allow for a better airflow under the motherboard by creating an opening in front of the PSU fan. It will also reduce any possible airflow restriction to the PSU and reduce the overall cost in material (acrylic) for all the trays.

Hi Isawhim,

I thought I would address portion of this post.
I'm going to show it populated with actual equipment, this is the objective of the Beta test phase.

I'm not getting what you are saying about 90% of the structure being useless. There will be a lot of weight attached to the structure and each piece plays a roll in either supporting or reinforcing the frame so that it can support the weight of the hardware and PSUs. Do you have some kind of engineering study to support your claim? Do you mind sharing your insight on how you would remove 90% of the components and have something that would work and correctly support and protect the equipment?
As far as prices goes, I'm doing my best to keep it down but the aluminum profiles are not cheap, the fasteners are expensive, and you still have to pay for somebody to cut and drill every piece. It's made here in the USA, so labor is not that cheap. Right now, it cost less than $50 for 6 GPU, which is not too bad if the cooling is adequate. The idea is that the frame will help putting together a setup that will be easier to cool (and save energy, allowing the rack to pay for itself).
The system is designed to handle 6kWh, not 12kWh. I'm not sure how you get to that number knowing that the limitation is 4 PSU or 6400W max... If you want to enclose the frame, you absolutely can. I already plan on doing that when I will run the oil cooling test.
If you want to use a fan with a high static pressure, you also can. But I will start testing with regular fans and see what happens.

You are talking about using a refrigerator that is twice the volume, which defeat the purpose of the rack design (compact setup). We already know that tight spacing with the right airflow can work:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRMk0ZteKoFZO0kqXhSdfCn1uLCdaJKOUc6j8FLFqYoEqmay9l5
Debating this issue is pointless until I start testing with the current spacing. My theory is that, if you can make it work with the cards tightly packed together, why couldn't you with an additional 10mm in between them?

I would love to see what happens in the insulated enclosure if the fan stops working, this would be very interesting.

Update: I will receive the first frames on the 8th. I will post some picture then.

You realy need to show it populated with actual equipment, not theoretical equipment.

90% of that structure is useless and expensive for such a simple structure.

Missing things... any kind of cover, to actually allow air to "flow" over components. Any form of exhaust-vent attachment for the 12KWh heater/GPU exhaust. (You will not be cooling that with an AC unit.) Missing filter attachment, and blower-fan. (A free-flow fan will not suffice. That is why they don't use them in a professional setup. You need a blower with high static-pressure, since this is not an "unrestricted air-flow", thus, flower-fans are just a cheap and ineffective alternative to what is actually needed.)

I'll sell you my old fridge, which is better suited for 2x the volume of your structure. Same price, insulated, sealed, ready for ducting, and has built-in supplemental cooling for moisture-extraction of ambient outside air. $150 OBO, pickup only.

first thing to do drill holes and mount caster wheel. 

Here it is, ready to ship!
http://www.awtti.com/images/LTCminingrig14.jpg