my KingpinCooling.com F1EE insulation & prep

[3oh6]

don't consider this the bible of insulation guides, it is just a few photos of my insulation & prep of an EVGA X58 Classified and a new F1EE CPU pot. i'll let the photos do most of the talking so just look at those if you know what you are doing then read the crap i type for a little clarification if needed. first up is motherboard prep.



before prepping around the socket, i insulate with kneaded rubber eraser under the socket hold down. take the socket hold-down off, pack eraser around the socket, then muscle the socket hold down back into place over top of the eraser. this should fill every nook and cranny around the socket.





then just fill in the area around the socket ensuring to work the kneaded eraser into all of the small gaps to eliminate potential air pockets. warming up the eraser for a few seconds in the microwave or simply kneading it in your hands helps soften it up to make it easier to work with. a small poking device can also help work the eraser into small gaps but be careful not to put too much pressure on the wrong spot or to scratch the motherboard PCB.

notice, i don't use dielectric grease or vaseline in the socket. i don't use nail polish, liquid electrical tape, or conformal coating on the motherboard. the kneaded rubber eraser goes on dry, comes off dry, and i haven't seen a drop of moisture in or around the socket since i started using it. i get a perfect seal every time and have left CPU's in the socket for months at a time with daily phase and LN2 use showing no signs of moisture anywhere. your location may not allow for that kind of prep, but i also live in the humidity capital of Canada. it isn't quite Georgia but i bet those down south would feel right at home here all summer long



with the eraser in place, i use a layer of 'shop towel' paper towel which will pick up any moisture coming down from the pot and absorb any sweat from the kneaded rubber eraser. keep in mind, the eraser doesn't insulate, it just prevents air from touching the cold board and condensing. i also stuff the paper towel into the first DIMM slot as it can sometimes condense if you are running cold enough in a humid environment. then on top of that goes two layers of armacell insulation, the stuff Vince packs with the F1EE. these are two 1/2" sheets cut to accommodate the F1 base but i think a 1/2" and 1/4" sheet will work better based on my insulation of the pot, which is next.





first up is a layer of painter's low tack tape so that my layer of armaflex insulation tape doesn't stick to the F1EE and make the pot as ugly as your momma. i don't overlap the tape, just a single layer all around the pot where the insulation will go careful not to leave any gaps.





as mentioned, i then put a single layer of armaflex insulation tape around the entire pot except the base and very top where the hold down will go. as with the painter's tape, no overlap is the goal but no gaps is also important. after that i mount the thermal probe in the hole i had to drill myself (), and secure it with painters tape. BTW, painters tape is a benchers best friend.





the pot is then ready for the insulation tube that Vince supplies. the insulation tube works fine on it's own, but with the layer of armaflex tape, the seal around the pot is better and the extra layer of insulation doesn't hurt. this is basically the same method i have been using with my MMouse Rev3/k|ngp|n Tek9's forever, and it works great. with the insulation on, the pot is ready for mounting. just drop it in the formed holes of the armacell sheets - again two 1/2" sheets are a bit too much - and secure the hold down.



after mounting i start the system at ambient temps to make sure i have a good mount. with i7's i basically set it to 1.000v at default clocks and disable HT and 2 cores. if it holds temp at 35C'ish, i should have a good mount. it is just a matter of setting up the BIOS and pulling down temps from here.

like i said, this isn't very comprehensive, just a show of how i insulate as seeing other peoples insulation can always give you ideas on how to improve yours. HTH

[Aditya]

Clean looking setup and pics are awesome

[Deux]

Nice guide/pics for new users. Almost identical to how I do it. Only real difference is that I use one piece of 1/2'' on top of the eraser as opposed to two sheets.

What do you do for the back of the board? Looks like the board is mounted to a piece of 1/2'' sheet foam.

[3oh6]

thanks guys.

i use a 5/8" thick MDF board for my bench platform with a 1/2" sheet in between the board and the MDF. the gap is a few 1/8's less than 1/2" so it compresses slightly and gives me a perfect air tight seal on the entire back of the motherboard.

there is no other prep to the backside. the mounting rods go through drilled holes in the MDF so the MDF acts as my back plate. been using that method for years without a single issue. and no new back plates needed for new sockets...just different holes for each board

[Karmakazi]

Nice guide Jody, never thought about taking the socket cover off

And that little classi box you have it awesome. I couldnt remember everything about its construction from when I looked at it back in May. You just filled in the gaps for me (the holddown part is what I forgot). Will be making myself one soon

[Pain]

Great Guide 3oh6. Images do well even without words.
I have some questions regarding LN2 specially.

1.- This works really weel with LN2 right?
2.- Back of the motherboard needs to have kneaded eraser too?
3.- How many packeges of this eraser have you used each time? (It´s reusable I know).


Mainly because I have benched Dice all the time, and since I´m entering to LN2 I´d like to know If I will have some problems. Also the kneaded eraser method will be the first time I use it. I don´t have too much of insulation foam for the pot and mobo like you. Is it possible to have something like this from Kingpingcooling products and which should I buy?

Thanks for the answers and great photos!


PSDT: The new looking is great!

[3oh6]

Originally Posted by Pain

1.- This works really weel with LN2 right?
2.- Back of the motherboard needs to have kneaded eraser too?
3.- How many packeges of this eraser have you used each time? (It´s reusable I know).

1 - yes, this is my insulation for LN2
2 - back of the motherboard needs to be insulated. you should be able to use the same insulation that you use for dry ice. i don't use a back plate so i am not familiar with insulating the back of the motherboard.
3 - kneaded eraser comes in various sizes of packages depending on brand so that's hard to answer. you basically have to eye ball it based on the size of packages you will be buying.

Originally Posted by Pain

Mainly because I have benched Dice all the time, and since I´m entering to LN2 I´d like to know If I will have some problems. Also the kneaded eraser method will be the first time I use it. I don´t have too much of insulation foam for the pot and mobo like you. Is it possible to have something like this from Kingpingcooling products and which should I buy?

Thanks for the answers and great photos!

PSDT: The new looking is great!

kingpincooling.com does have all the insulation products you may need...

http://kingpincooling.com/oc-supplies

as for going from dry ice to LN2, it really shouldn't be a lot different. sub-zero is sub-zero but you will be running colder so the cold will "spread" a bit more. if you have good insulating for dry ice, you should be fine for LN2. HTH

[Pain]

Thanks bro.
I bought around 6 packages so I think It will work with that. Should I use kneaded eraser on the back or only foam insulation?

Thanks a lot for your answer. Knowing LN2 and Dice are not that different is great.
Regards.

[chispy]

I use both sides in front and in the back eraser insulation + armaflex. Good Luck with your project .

Angelo.

[MaadDaawg]

I use the eraser on both the top and the bottom of the mobo with my phase unit ... I know.. a measly-45C, but the issue of keeping moisture out is the same. I used about 12 of the larger size erasers and used a chop stick to pack it in some of the smaller areas... worked great.

Love your idea of using the MDA cause my main concern putting the metal back plate on top of the eraser is that the plate bends as I tighten the evap head onto the board Your method would alleviate a lot of issues... thanks for the tips bro