back to article Scotsman cools PC with IRN-BRU, dubs it the 'Aye Mac'

An enterprising Scot has built a PC cooled by Irn-Bru*, and called it the “Aye Mac”. John Lawson, who runs an Edinburgh computer repair service called PC Doctor, decided to create the machine as a promotion and/or homage to Scotland's other famous drink. Sadly Irn-Bru's not the actual coolant – a liquid with the same colour …

  1. PCS

    Come on El Reg, this was news on all the other sites over a week ago.

    Why are you always late with your some of your articles?

    1. Simon Sharwood, Reg APAC Editor (Written by Reg staff)

      We're not.

      See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/18/microsoft_has_developed_its_own_linux_repeat_microsoft_has_developed_its_own_linux/

      Or http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/17/cisco_reply_all_storm_of_2015/

      Or many others.

      1. chivo243 Silver badge
        Headmaster

        yes, but you neglected the best one:

        I sent this as a tip, but El Reg has yet to publish this classic MS story...

        Nadella in a classic MS demo moment. Might generate a few laughs in the forums.

        http://mashable.com/2015/09/17/satya-nadella-cortana-fail/

      2. Jim 59

        El Reg is not "always late". Nor does sell itself as a breaking news site. However, a story like this should not even be attempted without the word "girders". A subscription cancelling matter I'm afraid.

        1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          "girders"

          girrrderrs

          FTFY

          1. xeroks

            nearly, but not quite there.

            Barrs are based in the the west coast, so the correct pronounciation is "gurrderrs".

    2. Whitter
      Headmaster

      why indeed

      ... *always* late with *some* ...

  2. PCS

    PS Irn Bru is widely available here in Moscow.

    1. SW

      Yup - Even out here in the Middle East

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. SolidSquid

      Iirc the largest Burns Supper in the world takes place in Moscow, so probably not surprising

      1. The Vociferous Time Waster

        Re:

        That was just Robbie Coltrane while he was playing an ex KGB Bond villain.

    4. Ian Michael Gumby
      Pint

      Irn Bru / Diet Irn Bru

      Guys,

      Unfortunately its not available in the US.

      Based on some informal taste tests, the drink wouldn't be that popular, until you tell them its great for the morning after!

      A pint symbol because that's the reason why you need to drink it.

  3. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Pint

    Sod the Irn Bru

    but kudos for the matching nixie clock!

    Now as a true Yorkshireman, I need one like that but which is cooled with Barr's Dandelion and Burdock.

    1. Rich 11

      Re: Sod the Irn Bru

      Barr's? Fentiman's!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sod the Irn Bru

      But with a clock like that... how can we be sure it's not actually a bomb????

      1. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Sod the Irn Bru

        "But with a clock like that... how can we be sure it's not actually a bomb????"

        Because "Scotsman" enough said.....

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      Re: Sod the Irn Bru

      The nixie clock does it for me. Hadn't thought of that case mod.

    4. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: Sod the Irn Bru

      Neil Barnes,

      I used to love dandelion and burdock. Going to my Nan's for tea, only having to eat a token sandwich before moving on to the important matter of Mr Kipling's French Fancies and Cherry Bakewells. Not to mention the Jaffa Cakes. Although I'll not forget the taste of crab paste in a hurry...

      But then I had some recently. And it coats your teeth with a layer of fur. It makes Coke seem healthy in comparison. I seem to remember thinking Irn Bru was awful, but haven't had it in years.

      The oddest pop I had was in Austria. It was garlic flavoured lemonade.

      1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

        Re: Sod the Irn Bru

        Yeah, I used to drink it when it was two bob a bottle, and sixpence back on the empty. So if you could find four neighbours with empties, you took it back to the shop and got a free one.

        Barrs and Crystal Springs were the local pop in Wakefield; Fentiman's is some modern concoction.

    5. FutureShock999

      Yorkshire cooling

      I thought that a true Yorkshireman would want it cooled with Timothy Tailor's Landlord...

  4. Chris Miller
  5. James Micallef Silver badge

    So, not Irn-Bru

    I guess "Guy cools PC with PC coolant" doesn't have the same ring to it.

    Cool case mod, though, I have to say. The line of valves by the Irn-Bru bottle are a nice touch

    1. Alister

      Re: So, not Irn-Bru

      @James Micallef

      They're not technically valves (although they are) they are Nixie Tubes, and display digits.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: So, not Irn-Bru

        They probably aren't even that.

        What with real neon nixie tubes requiring rather entertaining voltages most of these projects use a 7 segment LED inside a plastic bottle.

        1. TeeCee Gold badge

          Re: So, not Irn-Bru

          Nope, those are honest-to-god nixies all right.

          Russian ones. You can tell by the way that the 5 looks like an inverted 2.........because it is thanks to the cheapskate Soviets[1]. There's a lot of NOS nixies sloshing around in the ex-iron curtain places, so they're popular for home builds like this.

          [1] Who would never build two things when one could be made to do the job with a hammer and/or by sending anyone who complained about the obvious bodge to the gulags.

          1. Pirate Dave Silver badge
            Pirate

            Re: So, not Irn-Bru

            I've kept this link in my bookmarks for a few years, waiting for just the right time to tell the Missus I'm wanting to spend $300 for an uber-nerd clock...

            http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/b/6313961011

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I know the face...

    I've never got over the look of disgust I received in a pub on Skye for asking for some side salad with my scampi.

    This thing is horrible, sorry there I've said it, (salad sneer).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I know the face...

      You should have asked for extra salt for your salad, its no wonder they were disgusted!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I know the face...

      Hang ye head in shame laddie if it wasney battered.

    3. Franco

      Re: I know the face...

      If you weren't in Skye when you asked for that you would have got cold chips as your salad....

      Irn-Bru (in an ice cold glass bottle, as shown in the picture) is the most effective hangover cure we Scots know. Preferably washing down a roll and square sausage.

      1. Wyrdness

        Re: I know the face...

        I learned the miraculous hangover-curing properties from a Scottish colleague. If there's a bottle of fizzy orange-coloured gloop on my desk, then my fellow code-monkeys know that I've had a good night.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I know the face...

        "Irn-Bru (in an ice cold glass bottle, as shown in the picture) is the most effective hangover cure we Scots know. Preferably washing down a roll and square sausage."

        Depends - if your night has been spent drinking vodka & irn bru, the hangover cure doesn't work so well.

        And it's lorne, not square sausage. I could just about accept the inexplicable term "roll on sausage"...

        1. Toastan Buttar

          Re: I know the face...

          Lorne sausage and 'a square slice' are one and the same. Even more inexplicable (even less explicable?) is the term "roll in sausage".

      3. Vic

        Re: I know the face...

        Irn-Bru (in an ice cold glass bottle, as shown in the picture) is the most effective hangover cure we Scots know

        A mate of mine has taken to drinking Vodka and Irn Bru. It's ... much better than it sounds...

        Vic.

    4. Your alien overlord - fear me

      Re: I know the face...

      Did you meantion you wanted the side salad deep fried along with the desert - Mars bar obviously, other chocolate bars are available but not as tasty deep fried.

  7. frank ly

    I visited Ferranti in Edinburgh ...

    .. many years ago. They had 'draught' Irn-Bru in the vending machines - delicious.

    P.S. In Scotland, it's pronounced "Irn Bru".

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: I visited Ferranti in Edinburgh ...

      PS : It's pronounced "Irn Bru" all over the world....

      As a Scotsman I can't pronounce it any other way....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I visited Ferranti in Edinburgh ...

        Actually it's often just called "Bru". Or in some parts of Scotland, "ginger".

        1. SolidSquid

          Re: I visited Ferranti in Edinburgh ...

          Generally "ginger" is just a general term for fizzy drinks rather than Irn Bru specifically, it's just that's the most common one

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: I visited Ferranti in Edinburgh ...

            There are other fizzy drinks? Oh right, you mean Tennants....

  8. albaleo

    No more refunds on glass bottle returns

    It's commercial viability may have taken a knock by Barr's recent decision to end 30p refunds when returning glass bottles.

  9. AbortRetryFail
    Joke

    Perspex?

    Surely the case should have been made from "gairdahhz" rather than perspex?

    1. John 110

      Re: Perspex?

      What's "gairdahhz"? Surely you mean "girrdurrz".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Perspex?

        Actually, it's just spelt "girders", regardless of how it's pronounced. On the same note, Glasgow should *never* be pronounced. "Glarsgow".

        1. Khaptain Silver badge

          Re: Perspex?

          "On the same note, Glasgow should *never* be pronounced. "Glarsgow"."

          Where I am from it would have to be spelt "Glesga" or "Glesgi* , that's how it is pronounced locally, even the Glaswegians don't pronounce it that badly....

          1. TeeCee Gold badge
            Coat

            Re: Perspex?

            Funny, I've always heard it pronounced "craphole".

            (The spandex jacket and the matching rocket boots please)

  10. Warm Braw

    Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

    I'm not sure it should be used for cooling Scotsmen, never mind their advertising gimmicks gadgetry..

    1. John 110

      Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

      It's got tons of caffeine as well!! Brilliant! And colourings!!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

      Eh? You're concerned that the national soft drink of Scotland is not healthy? It's Scotland FFS.

      1. Warm Braw

        Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

        "It's Scotland FFS"

        Lungs of a former miner,

        Veins of a veg-decliner,

        Heart failure and angina,

        Scotland the brave!

      2. Gasp!

        Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

        It actually has a warning on the side of the can that it may change the behaviour of children who drink it.

        1. Afernie
          Coat

          Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

          "It actually has a warning on the side of the can that it may change the behaviour of children who drink it."

          Aye. In Ruchazie and Easterhouse, it helps them sober up.

    3. Bodhi

      Re: Given that Irn Bru contains more sugar even than Coca Cola...

      No it doesn't. Irn Bru is around 9.5g per 100ml, Coke is around 10.5.

      It's also considerably nicer......

  11. Phuq Witt
    Facepalm

    Makes Me [Click] Baity

    "...An enterprising Scot has built a PC cooled by Irn-Bru*..."

    "...Sadly Irn-Bru's not the actual coolant – a liquid with the same colour does the job..."

    er...

    So maybe more accurate to say "An enterprising Scot has not built a PC cooled by Irn-Bru" then.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Headmaster

      Re: Makes Me [Click] Baity

      Or perhaps even more accurately "has built a PC not cooled by Irn-Bru" ?

      1. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Makes Me [Click] Baity

        or even "Has replaced the existing liquid expansion recipiant with an old IrnBru labelled perspex bottle + replaced the existing liquid with an IrnBru coloured liquid within a prebuilt PC".

    2. Pen-y-gors

      Re: Makes Me [Click] Baity

      Out of interest, why couldn't he just use real Irn Bru as the coolant?

      1. Rol

        Re: Why not use Irn Bru as coolant

        Often as not, liquid cooled computers have the liquid coming into contact with at least two different metals and creating a thermocouple like electrical charge.

        Due to electrolysis the chance that a girder might start forming where you don't want one is highly likely.

  12. russell 6
    Happy

    Irn Bru

    Take mine with a steak and gravy pie. Perfect lunch while sitting in the car on a cold wet day looking across the water to the Hebrides

    1. launcap Silver badge

      Re: Irn Bru

      > Perfect lunch while sitting in the car on a cold wet day

      Aha - an everyday lunch then!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Irn Bru

      I usually take mine with a bacon and black roll, followed by hair of the dog.

  13. Ken 16 Silver badge

    pronounced “Iron Brew”?

    Nay, iz no!

    1. Efros

      Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

      Aye mair like Eyerun Baroo.

      1. Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip

        Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

        Glaswegians pronounce it as 'Ginger'?

        1. Franco

          Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

          I've never seen someone as puzzled as the English contractor I used to work with in Paisley, who was asked for a swally of his ginger by one of the other engineers. Trying to explain that it's "scoosh" if it's flat and "ginger" if it's carbonated, regardless of flavour, was an interesting conversation.

          Keeping it vaguely tech related, it's truly terrifying the mess Irn Bru makes of a laptop if it's spilt on it. Far worse than any other beverage in my experience.

          1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
            Happy

            Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

            I used to know a Glaswegian welder, living in exile in the home counties. I don't know why people had trouble with understanding him. Until he got excited. At which point only dogs could hear him, and only the Scottish ones work out what he was on about.

            But not as unholy as a friend's Mum's accent. She's from southern Spain, and married a Glaswegian. She learned her english from him. Glaswegian with a strong spanish accent is interesting. I'd love to hear him speak spanish though.

            1. Yugguy

              Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

              I'm a Lancashire lad, but with a mild accent, I'm not as deep as Fred Dibnah or even Peter Kay, but even I have trouble being understood sometimes when darn Sarf, or even dahhhhhn Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahf.

              1. launcap Silver badge

                Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

                > but even I have trouble being understood sometimes when darn Sarf

                A former (Californian) manager had great difficulty understanding my wifes soft south Devon/Plymouth accent (which has now morphed to a Devon/Wiltshire accent complete with the complete loss of everything resembling conventional grammar..)

              2. Sgt_Oddball
                Coat

                Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

                Aye lad, but thee's fr'm wrong side 't Pennines. 'Sides 'up north we sup Ale, not soft southern shandy...

                Mines t' one wit' whippit an' flat cap.

                1. Rol

                  Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

                  Yeah, but thee mash thar tea, an that's just wrong.

                  Mines t' one wit' ferret an' clogs.

            2. Alister

              Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

              But not as unholy as a friend's Mum's accent. She's from southern Spain, and married a Glaswegian. She learned her english from him. Glaswegian with a strong spanish accent is interesting. I'd love to hear him speak spanish though.

              I used to know a bloke who was an Italian prisoner of war, who stayed on and married a local girl from North Derbyshire. He spoke English with an Italian / Derbyshire accent - a most remarkable combination!

            3. launcap Silver badge

              Re: pronounced “Iron Brew”?

              > She's from southern Spain, and married a Glaswegian

              One of my nieces - born in Glasgow to a mother bought up in South Africa and a father brought up in London. Then moved to the US..

              Interesting accent.

  14. Wally Dug

    This is Nothing New

    Modding a PC with the use of Irn Bru was done here http://www.wallydug.demon.co.uk/wallydug/articles.html#hard_cases about 20 years ago. In fact, El Reg even carried one one of the stories way back in 2002: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/10/11/102_ways_to_kill_your/

    1. Bloakey1

      Re: This is Nothing New

      Cool, it even tells you how to build your own modem. How quaint

      Nice to know you can still buy a Courier modem, God those were the days. Demon was the only show in town and you started with a Unix console and then went about downloading your copy of Turnpike or whatever from there.

      Happy days, no Web, no AOL users and Usenet was a nice troll free place.

      1. launcap Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: This is Nothing New

        > Demon was the only show in town

        Not quite - you could go with Pipex and pay through the nose. But only Demon had proper FAQs about how to get linux autodial and sendmail configurations working..

        Ah - memories. Running Slackware 0.99pl15 on a 386sx25 with a honking great (physically anyway - full-height) 330MB ESDI drive that wouldn't fit into the case and so sat on the floor next to the case. The cats enjoyed the heat output..

        Kids today eh?

  15. This post has been deleted by its author

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm thinking of making a Dr Peppers one but I'm worried it might be misunderstood...

    1. PipV

      Meh

      Whats the worst that could happen?

  17. Tom 7

    Has anyone successfully done this for less than the cost of the off the shelf

    system that would go that fast anyway?

    1. Rol

      Re: Has anyone successfully done this for less than the cost of the off the shelf

      Liquid cooling can be quite expensive, so if you're going down that route you are unlikely to be messing with middling chips to start with.

      The starting point will be the point where normal retailers finish, so yes, whatever the retailers offer, you can bet several dozen home builders have pushed it beyond number 11 for a fraction of the cost of a Cray.

      At the end of the day, most do it for the fun of it. Yes the system can run quieter, and yes it might push another 30% out of the chips, but doing it to save money? Nope.

      Having said that, you could quite easily and cheaply do it yourself by plonking your entire pc into a vat of cooking oil. You might want to take all the panels off, relocate the dvd drive somewhere a tad more convenient along with the power and reset switches and perhaps a USB hub. Oh and remove the fans. Hey presto one kickass chip fryer. No I jest, it really does work.

  18. Archaon

    Would be more impressive...

    ...if it was actually a working PC. No power, no memory, no graphics, no storage. There's not even a radiator for the cooling loop.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Would be more impressive...

      There's not even a radiator for the cooling loop.

      It's Scotland, FFS. That''s probably a heating loop.

    2. Afernie

      Re: Would be more impressive...

      Well, it's just a funny window display, advertising rather than functional.

  19. Robert Grant

    Coincidentally...

    Coca Cola sell Iron Brew in South Africa.

    Shades of South African Polo.

    1. Sgt_Oddball

      Re: Coincidentally...

      Ironically Scotlands the only place where Coka Cola isn't the number one soft drink. Irn Bru being said carbonated beverage of choice.

  20. macjules
    Facepalm

    And my next trick ..

    An iPhone that can reheat your deep-fried Mars Bar, just by dint of the battery overheating.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    no psu, no ram, no graphics card and no hdd..... not really a computer then.

    1. Fat Jez

      no radiator that I can see either

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looks like Orac

    http://orac.technovision.dk/

  23. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

    Fake!

    I dont wanna go all youtube , but , faaake! etc

    I say this because the MB has no power plugged into it , nor is any of the dangerous 240v bits anywhere in sight. also no unsightly sata cables , or hard drives , or pci cards , or external cables , or external peripherals , or anything at all . in fact i could replicate the entire stunt within 5 mins of getting home tonight by dropping one of the MBs i have lying around in a fish tank

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Fake!

      Why a fake? None of that stuff requires water cooling and the guy's just showing off what he's done. Orange dye's quite easy to add to water so the whole thing's not really a spectacular achievement. I doubt the rig would need a radiator either given the amount of liquid in it.

      Pictures of it working would be nice though.

  24. Agincourt and Crecy!

    Meanwhile in Newcastle

    The good folks of Tyneside are working on a Brown Ale cooled version they will be calling the Why Aye Mac.

  25. Martin-73 Silver badge

    Anyone got the URL to the actual video?

    Firefox just gives some kind of 'invalid video id' error

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