Construction (The CPU Die Simulator) - Continued

This is the heating and height adjustment area. Since AMD and Intel have different processor heights the bottom copper block can be changed with another piece that gives the simulated CPU the exact heights for Intel testing.

In this image you can also see the holes drilled for measuring the temperature of the simulated die. On the first trip to the machine shop I forgot to include this in my AutoCAD drawing. I tried to make the hole at home but quickly learned that a professional was needed. The machine shop was able to drill a hole all the way down to the middle of the die, a feat that is much harder than it looks even with a drill press and new drill bits.

In this image the Intel copper block has replaced the AMD block giving us the exact height of an Intel processor. You can also see the black tape that was built up to balance the IHS to the simulated CPU die. All of the parts were also coated with thermal paste, Arctic Silver 5 was used between the die and the IHS and peltier used as a heat source. Ceramique was used to attach the cold side of the peltier to the height blocks since it is effective at sub 0C temperatures.

The first mounting of the system to the internal wiring box, it might look ghetto now but read on.

The final revision of the box with both AMD AM2 mounting and Intel Socket 775 holes drilled into the PCB. All of the wiring has also been routed to spring loaded quick disconnect speaker plugs for easy installation into other upcoming simulated products.

Construction (The TECC, Thermal Environment Control Chamber)

Since incubation chambers can cost many thousands of dollars we needed to make an affordable solution that can keep the temperature inside at a perfect 40 degrees C.

An 8 foot by 4 foot sheet of Dow Corning Foam Insulation was used for the construction of our Thermal Environment Control Chamber. To minimize the need for additional material which would raise costs, a 2 inch thick piece was used for construction. The product has an R rating of 10 (R10) at 2 inches.

After cutting four 36 inch by 24 inch sheets the chamber started to take shape. I used 6 inch nails with Liquid Nail to attach and seal the enclosure.

The entire Dow Corning foam was used in the construction of the box. This is the finished box without the door attached and without the electronics installed.

In this shot you can see the door installed and the electronics starting to make their way into place.