Hi all,
I am working on an autonomous underwater vehicle project, which isn't for work. I am using an Intel Atom motherboard for all my computing needs, a picture is located here http://www.pressebox.de/attachment/113306/Intel_D945GCLF_Press.jpg
The problem is, how can I keep this board working, even with 5000PSI of pressure? I was considering getting an aluminum box, then standing the PCB off, then potting it. But, I need to add heatsinks to some ICs and have the aluminum go out into the water. This is because the epoxy is a good insulator of heat, even the thermally conductive epoxies are poor. If the heat doesn't escape, then it will create pressure pockets and crack the components/resin.
Another option I thought of is to get a high strength aluminum container with a fluid such as mineral oil to insulate, yet conduct heat.
I know that you should select a low durometer potting compound for potting electronics, since it will not stress the components much. But, in my case, I need a fair amount of compressive strength, so I need to go with a harder resin (about 75 shore D).
I am removing as much as possible from the PCB, since there are some unnecessary connectors, etc. All I am using is one hard drive, a ram module (pain in the butt, since it is tall!), and several USB ports. I am even considering replacing the aluminum caps with tantalums, since it's a solid dielectric that can withstand a bit more pressure.
Any suggestions?
Steve
I am working on an autonomous underwater vehicle project, which isn't for work. I am using an Intel Atom motherboard for all my computing needs, a picture is located here http://www.pressebox.de/attachment/113306/Intel_D945GCLF_Press.jpg
The problem is, how can I keep this board working, even with 5000PSI of pressure? I was considering getting an aluminum box, then standing the PCB off, then potting it. But, I need to add heatsinks to some ICs and have the aluminum go out into the water. This is because the epoxy is a good insulator of heat, even the thermally conductive epoxies are poor. If the heat doesn't escape, then it will create pressure pockets and crack the components/resin.
Another option I thought of is to get a high strength aluminum container with a fluid such as mineral oil to insulate, yet conduct heat.
I know that you should select a low durometer potting compound for potting electronics, since it will not stress the components much. But, in my case, I need a fair amount of compressive strength, so I need to go with a harder resin (about 75 shore D).
I am removing as much as possible from the PCB, since there are some unnecessary connectors, etc. All I am using is one hard drive, a ram module (pain in the butt, since it is tall!), and several USB ports. I am even considering replacing the aluminum caps with tantalums, since it's a solid dielectric that can withstand a bit more pressure.
Any suggestions?
Steve