has anyone tried this.............

[VST_Man 1]

installing a DVR into a small refridgerator? I'm looking for a enclosed DVR "case" and actually think that using a small refer to hold the DVR, and some beer, might just work.......................

 

to be used for installs at locations without AC or decent cooling. set the temp to lowest and let it run....

 

comments? condensation a problem?

[CollinR 0]

Condensation will be a major problem.

 

Better bet is using a system designed to deal with it or a housing designed for this. They have refer housings for industrial computers, not cheap though.

 

 

You might be able to do it but you would want it alot warmer then a normal refergerator runs, maybe like 65-70*F. That will help your condensation a bunch. I would ask a refergerator repairman how the temp control works and if it could be run that hot.

 

 

Another thing is wine chillers, thats alot closer in temp.

[cachecreekcctv 0]

Even those small "wine chillers" pull a lot of current, as they have a compressor, etc. The cooling theory , in part, of any refrigeration system, is the refrigerant used, i.e. R22, R134a,R12, etc. RV sales/service places might have other ideas, to keep things small/simple. Would this unit have access to AC current? or run on batteries?My son and 1 of his friends,who build PC's for people, have found a "water cooling" method, which utilizes some sort of liquid, in a closed-loop, I assume to keep the hardward cool, while they are "gaming"??Just have seen pictures of it , though.

[VST_Man 1]

I'm basically after a box that will keep a DVR cool. AC is available. Wine cooler is not deep enough..measured it. Refrig's are typically 22-24" deep.........pretty much perfect for both a DVR & beer. Condensation? I think it's ok to have a DVR in a frig becasue a frig is a basic ac exchange unit........the DVR heat should off-set the refrig cooling condensation issues.

 

Anyway, I'll see how that goes. If worse comes to worse the beer will still be cold..............

 

anyone else have better idea's, let's hear it

[Rooney 0]

One thing you can use is Thermoelectric or Peltier coolers. When power is applied one side gets hot and the other cold. When I use them I put the hot side towards the outside of the enclosure and put a heat sink outside against the location of the cooler. I also put a heat sink with small fan on the inside to circulate the cooler air. They work well and can keep the enclosure up to 40 degrees f cooler than ambient air. Just make sure you size it accordin to your requirements.

[CollinR 0]

If you can stand the temp indefinately the water/liquid cooling is a possible solution.

 

Although a Peltier cooler can go below ambient it's pretty inefficient. Might put one on the raditator of a watercooled setup though.

 

 

You could be really slick and watercool a rackmount to the top of your beer fridge and put the radiator in there. I don't know what the fridge would do having a couple hundred watts to chill.

[phred 0]

You will only get a condensation problem if you allow outside air into the

fridge.

Stick in a sachet of silica gel then seal the door up.

 

Or put the DVR in a polythene bag and seal any gaps round cables - it should survive OK without oxygen

[cachecreekcctv 0]

Kerry, will the DVR "box" be out in the direct Sun? or shaded somehow?I would think that outdoor humidity would be as bad as anything in a fridge, especially in the summer. Do your kids have any friends who do the "gaming" thing? Maybe they have seen the water-cooled PC cases. Since my son moved out, I only see him about once a week, but I will call him tonight and ask him how he built the last water-cooled PC case. One thing also, is that Hoffman makes a "panel mount" AC cooling unit for large panels. I have some huge Hoffman Panels (8' X 8') that have over 50 VFD's in them, which give off tremendous heat. The Hoffman AC Panel coolers do a great job, and mount to the side, or door of the panels. The units are about 8" X 12", and use R-22

[CollinR 0]

You will only get a condensation problem if you allow outside air into thefridge.

 

You could be really slick and watercool a rackmount to the top of your beer fridge and put the radiator in there. I don't know what the fridge would do having a couple hundred watts to chill.

 

 

That would make my suggestion a very bad idea, I was kidding in case nobody guessed that.

 

 

 

 

 

Above when I said you can stand the temp indefinately, I meant you personally. So an attic in OK would be a no-go, aske me how I know.

 

But 90*F you should be able to do just by pumping water around, it's less then ideal but cooler then the CPU and HDDs. Don't forget the HDDs!!! If you just waterblock the CPU the HDDs will fail if pushed.

 

I wouldn't use the PC water cooling stuff much past the waterblocks. An automotive heater core smokes their radiators on bang:buck and you'll have no flow restriction from them as most are 3/4" throughput. You also get a huge variety of sizes.

 

Don't use cheap fittings and hose, make sure everything is threaded and have custom hoses built at a hydraulics shop. They can probably modify the fittings too if needed. I once had 4 SS braided braklines made for my Jeep for something like ~$50, metric on one end and SAE the other.

 

 

This is NOT going to a customer right?

[cachecreekcctv 0]

Go to HackedGadgets.com and see how the guy built the fridge that throws the beer to him. If you used a refrigerant-based system, you could actually put the evaporator coil anywhere you would like. Just have to remember that on the Evaporator or "high side", you have extreme pressures, many over 300psi, so you would need to take care when soldering that line extension. I learned in Industrial Refrigeration many years ago to use only Silver solder on refrigeration lines. If you had the time, you could look in a Grainger Catalog, and see all the parts necessary to build a small AC system, or even buy a small used "wine cooler" and strip it down to the refrigeration system part. Compressor, condensor, evaporator,TXV. Many smaller units use a single fan motor, double shaft, moving air across both the evaporator coil and the condensor coil at the same time.