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Before moving on to the installation, some additional products and
materials had to be secured in order for the 478-UHT to perform
properly. The 226 Watt TEC that we are using is going to require
a separate power supply. To that end we obtained a Samlex model
S-320-12 industrial power supply. This 320 Watt unit is sold under
the Meanwell brand and delivers 25 amps at 12 volts, which is perfect
for our intended use.
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This
unit measures 230 X 115 X 50 mm and comes in at 1.15 Kg. With some
minor modifications, it can be made to fit in the 5.25" bay
opening of a typical midsized case. This power supply comes with
no instructions or power cable. If you are a novice please obtain
the help and supervision of someone who is knowledgeable (and friendly)
before attempting to wire this component. High powered devices can
be deadly if used inappropriately.
Even though Swiftech does an excellent job in providing for the
proper insulation of their TEC powered solutions, some additional
care must be taken to ensure that the processor is well protected.
Dielectric grease is the material of choice for this critical step.
The
installation process is very straightforward. By exercising proper
care and paying close attention to detail, we estimate that installing
the Swiftech 478-UHT and supporting components will add approximately
1/2 hour in set up time compared to a "typical" water
cooled system. Swiftech has a comprehensive guide to installation
on their web site, and we recommend you follow it closely. To access
the guide just click on the following link http://www.swiftnets.com/installation.htm.
We do however, want to focus on the finer details of the preparation
and installation process as an aid for our readers. The most important
part of the preparation phase is to protect against the possibility
of condensation. We performed the following steps and hope they
assist you if you decide to one day explore TEC assisted cooling:
Step 1. Prepare the motherboard. The entire motherboard was sprayed
with liquid conformal coating. Both sides of the board received
3 light coats of spray. The time between coats was approximately
1/2 hour. Special care must be taken to protect
the areas of the board that should no be sprayed, e.g. memory slots,
ATX connectors, PCI slots etc.
For
added insurance, the same process was repeated for all PCI cards.
Ste 2. Insulate underside of the motherboard. Swiftech provides
an adhesive patch which is affixed to the underside of the motherboard
in the area just behind the CPU. After the conformal coating has
cured, peal off the protective sticker from the patch, and apply
it as shown in the next picture.
Step
3. Insulate ZIF socket. The dielectric grease was used to
cover the entire center cavity of the ZIF socket. Afterwards, the
grease was worked into the pin holes carefully. Do not worry. The
dielectric grease will not harm the processor in any way.
Step
4. Mount the processor. Check for pin orientation and carefully
insert the CPU into the ZIF socket. After you have done this, close
the socket's lever. If you applied the dielectric grease properly,
you will have hydraulic pressure build up within the socket that
will cause the CPU to lift away from the socket. This is normal,
but MUST be corrected before moving forward. Using the eraser side
of a pencil, push down on each corner of the CPU until all 4 corners
are flush against the socket. Wait a few minutes and repeat as often
as necessary until the CPU is seated properly. The primary cause
of problems in TEC assisted cooling is an improperly seated processor.
By taking special care at this point, you will avoid problems in
the future.
The
following picture shows the motherboard gasket and the motherboard
patch prior to installation.
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