YouTuber Rasim Muratovic has plunged a Raspberry Pi single-board pc into an fish tank, powered on — however because of the properties of mineral oil, the machine survived intact.

“We will see if a Raspberry Pi 2 [Model B] can really swim. I am not even kidding,” Muratovic explains by the use of introduction to his newest video, dropped at our consideration by the Raspberry Pi weblog. “We’re gonna see if the Raspberry Pi 2 can swim inside some mineral oil. I bought a fish tank, I’ve bought some mineral oil, I bought a Raspberry Pi 2 Mannequin B, and we will see if it really works submerged in that mineral oil.”

Whereas Muratovic’s implementation — a small fish tank, nonetheless with gravel within the backside, stuffed with mineral oil earlier than a Raspberry Pi single-board pc is plunged into it — is simplified, it serves for example of a know-how used not-infrequently in high-performance computing: complete immersion cooling. Not like faucet water, mineral oil is inherently non-conductive and thus secure round electronics; not like air, it is also excellent at conducting warmth.

Merely shoving a tool in a vat of oil will solely work till the oil heats, in fact, with actual complete immersion cooling methods guaranteeing the oil is pumped across the electronics and to a radiator the place it will possibly shed extra warmth — but it surely’s definitely attainable for low-power {hardware} to outlive with out that characteristic, as Muratovic’s video demonstrates.

“The Raspberry Pi is definitely working proper now. It is submerged below mineral oil, by the best way, fully submerged below mineral oil. It is bought all of the cables linked to it. I linked it to this monitor and it fully works,” Muratovic says through the demo.

The total video is reproduced above and on Muratovic’s YouTube channel, Rasmurtech.