[ExI] homebrew cold freon bath super computer

[Eugen Leitl]

On Fri, Mar 09, 2012 at 05:38:36PM -0800, spike wrote:

> >...4a. For the rest of the cash buy yourself some cheap Linux based micros
> with ARM cpu and 200-something megs of ram, like BeagleBone or Raspberry Pi
> 
> This I find interesting.  I might try that.  Those Pis are supposed to be
> powerful and easily interfaced.  I can imagine setting a cluster of about
> 100 of those in an ordinary water bath cooling system dumping the heat into
> a refrigerator, running something that is useful enough to take up room in
> my fridge.  I think I can wire them together and figure out a way to bring
> the signal out to a switch on the kitchen counter, perhaps by cutting a
> notch in the door seal, or drilling a hole in the side of the refrigerator.
> Good chance my bride will be less enthusiastic about this whole notion than
> I am.

No need, ARM is easily aircooled.
 
> >...4b. You may consider buying and dismantling old broken laptops - ...
> 
> Possibly better performance than phones, but too much stuff there I don't
> need.  Your Raspberry idea is better.

For any practical application you'd do much better with a riff on
http://limulus.basement-supercomputing.com/wiki/LimulusCase
 
> >...5. Install your soft (Beowulf, maybe?), connect the plugs, run run run.
> 
> Ja, but run what what what?  Folding at home?  Codebreakers?

Any MPI code. Fluid dynamics, nuke hydro, finite elements, astro
simulations, molecular or quantum codes, whatever tickles your fancy.

Chances are, whatever your favorite problem space somebody has a
package for it somewhere. Maybe even in the depositories, see
Scientific Linux.
 
> >...6. Don't worry about temperature, if you don't overclock you should be
> fine with air cooling (and maybe custom made big box with few grand voltage
> regulated 120+mm propellers and many holes) - but I would measure temps all
> the time, just in case...
> 
> Hard to say.  If I invest in 100 of these and want them in close quarters, I
> need a major power supply.  I would think it would require a home
> refrigerator scale cooling system.
> 
> 
> >...Sorry if after modifications the plan is not exotic enough for you.
> Seems to me, exotic is what makes you tick :-)... Tomasz Rola
> 
> Ja it is an aerospace engineer's thing.  Why make something simple and
> straightforward, when it can be made complex and wonderful?