Automatic shutdown on pump failure

[Chanko]

I don't remember if I read it here or not, but someone said they were going to include something in there water-cooling system to automatically shutdown computer if pump fails. How is this possible? Does anyone know of a link so that I can check it out? I might be able to save a few bucks by not spending $65 on a pump if i can add this to my system. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Burning Phoenix]

I bought awhile back a few items from Radio Shack to put together such a thing. But I never finished it. Now that you brought it up i may just start working on it again. My first design was to use a relay to turn off the 110V line to my pump. What would activate the relay was a 12v line from my PSU. So when my computer turned the pump would start. Well to make it shutdown I was going to put the command line in MBM to shutdown everything when the temps went too high. But as some people know rundll.exe command doesn't always work especially if the computer is already locked up. The newest idea would be an external temp sensor that could be set to activate the 12v side of the relay to turn everything off on you power strip.

[Chanko]

I was think of a hardware sensor somehow...but I just dont get what to look for and how to turn off power supply. what i want to is put a temp sensor in the waterblock itself and monitor the temp there...if the temp rises above say...60C...then shutdown computer...how would i do that?

[cmcquistion]

Get Motherboard Monitor 5. It can sense your CPU temp, case temp, whatever and automatically and properly shut down the computer if they get over a predetermined threshhold. You can find links to download it from the homepage, go to utilities.

[Burning Phoenix]

If you can find some kinda of sensor setup in your waterblock that can control the one side of a relay that then switches off the power to your power strip you have everything plugged into. you would have to seup the 110v side of the relay with male & female plugs say as to pass plug it into the wall and the power striip. Look at this:
http://www.phoenixhideout.com/Image3.jpg

[cmcquistion]

Not to discount the relay method, but, you can set up a software method much easier and at no expense.

If your pump fails, your temperatures will increase, but not rapidly enough to warrant an electrical shutdown. Instead, set up the option to turn the computer off when the CPU reaches a certain temperature in the BIOS. Most BIOS' support this now. Set it up to shut down at, say, 50 C, for example. Then, install MBM5 and set it up to shut down the computer when the CPU temp reaches 45 C.

This way, if you are in windows and the pump fails or something, MBM5 will shut down the computer. If, for some reason, this fails due to a software application crash (rundll.exe, for example) you will still have the BIOS backup which will shut down the computer at 50 C.

Of course, you don't have to use these exact temperatures. These are the temps that I use with my computer because it almost never goes over 40 C. The important thing is that you set the BIOS a couple degrees higher than MBM5. You want MBM5 to shut down your computer if possible, because it will shut it down correctly and you won't have data corruption problems and such.

Cost = $0

[ButcherUK]

I find that mbm takes well over a minute to shut my comp down, this is far too long by the time that has happened my chip would be black and smoking, software (and the bios is software) methods are inherently unreliable, hardware is a much safer option IMO.

[Chanko]

I was hoping to go the hardware route...If I am not mistaking koolance cases come with something that will shutdown computer if temps get out of control. I can't believe no-one in this forum has done this (or they just havn't read this thread) I guess y'all are all using super pumps that will never fail. Software safety measures just dont seem like a good idea. Will the bios still shutdown computer if the computer is completely locked up(mouse doesnt move, keyboard doesnt work)? or when a computer completely locks up is it usually just the OS? My computer will definetly lock up when temperatures start getting to high. I don't know about yours. I want a sure proof way to only have to replace the pump in my system if it fails and not the motherboard and cpu becuase they are welded together in a heap of plastic.

[cmcquistion]

If the pump fails, it will take weveral minutes for the CPU to get dangerously hot. I read an article somewhere where thay unplugged the pump just to see how long it would take for the CPU to heat up. It was like 10 or 15 minutes. Even if the OS freezes up, the BIOS doesn't. JMO

[Chanko]

was that an AMD? I really dont know the facts but i heard that it will get real hot real fast...But even 15 minutes is bad. I could not be home when it fails and it could still fry the whole thing. So bios will never fail to shutdown computer if cpu gets hot?

[cmcquistion]

I'm not sure, but I think so. You may want to contact your motherboard manufacturer. A quick email to them and I bet they know the answer for sure.

[ptcg]

I think this is what you're looking for...

http://www.procooling.com/articles/html/cpu_overtemp_power_shutdown_ho.shtml

[Chanko]

sweet...i think this is it...thanks man!

[robertm]

www.jameco.com has a 5psi pressure switch. 1/4 inch I think. Might want to give them a look for a hardware switch.

[VashTheStampede]

Every single mobo I have owned and installed in the past year or two, have included shut off temp options within the BIOS, no extra software needed. The lowest setting on this board is like 70-75 C if I remember correctly. Since I have never achieved those temps, I wouldn't know if it auto-kills power or attempts to shut down Windows, Linux, etc. Even if it takes a minute or two for Windows to shut down, an AMD going from the shutdown temps to 90-95 (The supposed boiling point of an AMD) in a matter of two minutes is almost unheard of.

~RT~

[Burning Phoenix]

I myself have been putting off building a board setup with all kinds of plug in options for shuting down my computer in case of an emergency. I don't trust any kind of shutdown procedures that are directly used by the computer itself. I'm not sure i would trust my computer would reliably shutdown if such high temperatures are noticed by MBM or bios. I know a lockup would prevent software from shuting down but i never tried bios. Even if bios shutdown were 100% garanteed my second PSU runs my fans, and peltier. That means my pump , fans and TEC would still be running. Not that i care about the fans but i don't want my peltier to keep on going. When I have more time and money I will make a printed circuit board with all the needed things to work the way i want and then i'll post a link to it's details. Don't expect anytime this month though. I won't put it off because i know some people would be interested in it.

[the creature]

Take a look at the tread "Need help with the ultimate controller" or somthing, it's locatet in the general forum.

[cmcquistion]

Burning Phoenix, you would always run your second PSU off a relay from your first one. That way, if your first one shuts down, the second will too. It's really easy. Just leave your second (ATX) PSU plugged in and run a line from the green wire in the motherboard connector to a relay to connect to any of the black wires from the motherboard connector.

Just a thought.