Cut to the good stuff. Link is here for pics on the cabinet
I got a heck of a deal on an APC Netshelter on Craiglist ($100). This also included an APC 3000XL and a battery pack for it AND two ShareUPS units.
My cabinet will be in my garage (I can already hear the screams of disdain) and I didn't want an air conditioner outside the cabinet since the thermostat is on the unit itself; making it useless for my project. And even if I could MacGyver something to make it work while its outside, it would take up more space in the garage. And space in the garage is precious.
I found a TrippLite AC unit on CL for $350. Since it doesn't require a drain for condensation, this was the best solution for my project.
I realize I have limited my expansion capabilities. But frankly, with what little I do, it works for me. And the hardware is more than what I'll ever need so I'm good with my setup. I also have a Precision T5500 with 2 xeons and 72GB of ram so even if expansion was required, I'm ready for it.
I have a second thermostat that is about 5 degrees cooler than the Lux thermostat. They are both positioned on the computer (not at the time when I was taking pics). Maybe the Lux is abosrbing the heat coming off the case? I should try to suspend it and see if the variance is still there. 5 degrees isn't all that much to worry about though.
Hopefully this will help as I've seen others come up with cool AC like projects.
Update 5/19: I'm now using the external thermostat on the cabinet fans. The weather is low 70s and the AC won't kick on since the threshold won't be met. The cabinet fans pull 60 watts so now, they'll only kick on when the temp hits 85 in the cabinet. In the next month, I may buy a second thermostat to control the cabinet fans.
Hardware:
I got a heck of a deal on an APC Netshelter on Craiglist ($100). This also included an APC 3000XL and a battery pack for it AND two ShareUPS units.
My cabinet will be in my garage (I can already hear the screams of disdain) and I didn't want an air conditioner outside the cabinet since the thermostat is on the unit itself; making it useless for my project. And even if I could MacGyver something to make it work while its outside, it would take up more space in the garage. And space in the garage is precious.
I found a TrippLite AC unit on CL for $350. Since it doesn't require a drain for condensation, this was the best solution for my project.
I realize I have limited my expansion capabilities. But frankly, with what little I do, it works for me. And the hardware is more than what I'll ever need so I'm good with my setup. I also have a Precision T5500 with 2 xeons and 72GB of ram so even if expansion was required, I'm ready for it.
I have a second thermostat that is about 5 degrees cooler than the Lux thermostat. They are both positioned on the computer (not at the time when I was taking pics). Maybe the Lux is abosrbing the heat coming off the case? I should try to suspend it and see if the variance is still there. 5 degrees isn't all that much to worry about though.
Hopefully this will help as I've seen others come up with cool AC like projects.
Update 5/19: I'm now using the external thermostat on the cabinet fans. The weather is low 70s and the AC won't kick on since the threshold won't be met. The cabinet fans pull 60 watts so now, they'll only kick on when the temp hits 85 in the cabinet. In the next month, I may buy a second thermostat to control the cabinet fans.
Hardware:
- Lenovo TD340 with 32GB ram, 2x 8-core/16Thread CPUs, 8x2TB drives, Nvidia GTX9xx (can't remember) running Windows 10. I have VMware Workstation on it and within a VM is ESXi. Yes, again, the screams can be heard. I did this since this is my Plex Server and Theater so I can watch whatever while I'm in the garage.
- I did have to take the feet off the tower to fit inside the rails.
- Navepoint adjustable rack rails (2 pairs. 1 for the AC; the other for the tower).
- Lenovo SA120 with 12x2TB
- CISCO Gigabit Switch.
- Lux WIN100 external thermostat. This is rated for 15amps; the AC is maxed at 12. There were other thermostats that might have worked better but their amp rating was less than 12 amps. So maybe they aren't better after all!
- AcuRite 00613A1 Indoor Humidity Monitor (second thermostat. It's magnetic!)
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