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Sensors / Fanbus for Watercoolers?

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EpochofEntropy

Registered
Joined
Feb 3, 2003
Location
NY
<rambling>
A quick look at any overclockers supply website shows a variety of fanbuses for air cooling, but is there anything out there that caters to the water cooled market? More specifically:

:: Digital water temp sensors (for before heatercore/afterheatercore, etc)
:: Fan control based on water temps
:: Maybe even a digital flow meter

I visited the makers of the DigiDoc web site, and they mentioned having suggestions made for their new DigiDocs. I filled out quite the lengthy form stating what the WC market may need, or would like to see from a WC compatible DigiDoc.

Unfortunately the copy that I sent is buried in backups, but basically the features were:

:: all of the above
:: possibly peltier / voltage regulator interface for chiller setups
:: on board HUD that does some basic calcs and displays on screen (GpH/temp, radiator effeciency, etc -suggestions welcome)
:: interface to turn pump on with computer
:: ability to run a chiller until water reaches a specified temp, then boot main box
:: ability to hot plug in additional sensors (want another flow meter, four more temp sensors?) with naming and programatic capabilities
:: regular fanbus controls, albeit somewhat less comprehensive (because most need some other venthilation too)
:: Completely detachable and moveable LCD panel, even if it voids the warrantee (My Antec drive door is always closed, I want the display inside a backlit tinted window)
:: hell, give us a sink too, so we can drain the systems into it. :p

Just some suggestions. If you feel like lobbying MacPower to make a WC version of their DigiDoc, their feedback form is here.

If they don't want to, what is the potential the watercooling community can come together to make a 'opensource' DIY version from easily obtained components?
<rambling />
 
The closest thing that i have seen to that is, the Crystal fontz 633 display, it can control up to 4 fans and has a system of temp probes which you can use to adjust fan speed, the unit which controls temp probes can also have other components for the measurement of voltage rails and such (this doesn't include a fow meter, but it looks like it could support somthing like that), but you would need to program support for things like that.

An all inclusive unit for water cooling would be great I agree with you, and software which could log results would make the tool alot more useful. I hope it happens.
 
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Once again, I'd like to re-iterate that if we want this to happen that we should ralley manufactuers of Fanbuses or similar to make them for us. I'll build a list of email addresses / URL's to submit our suggestions to, to make things a bit easier.
 
you could get theres:
innovatek Flow-O-Matic electronic flow meter
flowel1.gif

innovatek Inline-water temp. sensor
inlineFuhler1.gif

Hang these on a digidoc or that Crystal fontz 633 display and you get what you ask for....
 
thinking about the features i would like to see .

a double high 3.5 inch bay lcd with the controller knobs and switches on a 5.25 bay.

...should have 6 fan channels (not 6 knobs) and each channel should be able to handle 24-36 watts
...4 temp-probe inputs
...4 outputs for ccfl with variable strobe control built in and sound strobe mode
...2 digital flow meter inputs ( note true digital flow measureing equipment is very expencive)
...power relays and timers controlled by software to regulate fan speed pumps and other ( note this already exists and i have seen some more rudimentary versions in the military)

note this would probly require 2 molex connectors from seperate rails but should be able to power everything ( and should have a recommended PSU of 450+)

the front design can be simple so that you select from a list which device yuo want to control with the knob so that you can reduce the number of needed knobs .
 
Unfortuneately, I don't think the market for watercooled PC's is as promising as a companies such as Vantec would consider...

I'd like to see Dell using Watercooling systems in the next couple years :D
 
pandoriaantje said:
you could get theres:
innovatek Flow-O-Matic electronic flow meter
flowel1.gif

innovatek Inline-water temp. sensor
inlineFuhler1.gif

Hang these on a digidoc or that Crystal fontz 633 display and you get what you ask for....

Yes, and Innovatek is also selling innova-Fan-o-matic :
Fan-O-Matic.jpg
It's got specific options when used with the flow meter so you can read the flow (not very precise, but you get an idea). You can also connect 6 temp prob on it and define a linear variation of any fan (up to 4) according to any temp probe.
 
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