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Specialist PC retailer CCL is known for their impressive range of gaming PCs, laptops, and components. With their YouTube channel full of product guides, reviews, and how-tos, CCL has got you covered for all your PC gaming needs.
But what does an industry-leading, award-winning tech supplier do when they decide they want to go to the next level? CCL certainly had an idea in mind when they came to us looking to give away a Chillblast Icon Interstellar PC by launching it into space.
To realise the giveaway, we worked together with CCL to take this project one step further by adding a mechanism to the PC that would scatter tickets at the peak of the flight, over 100,000 feet above the Earth. After they come to rest over the UK, the lucky few who find these tickets will be CCL's giveaway prize winners!
The challenge
Launching a PC into space is no mean feat, and there were a few modifications to be made. Firstly, the liquid in the PC's liquid cooling system has to be replaced to prevent freezing at the top of the flight. As well as this, we needed our own systems to power the PC at the flight's peak. To keep the spacecraft's weight to a minimum, we modified the top of the PC to allow us to mount our tracking systems and cameras directly to the computer, rather than adding additional weight.
The next thing to consider was the ticket scattering mechanism. Firstly, we ensured that tickets were biodegradable so that any unrecovered tickets would cause no harm to the environment. Next, we had to design a scatter system that fit around the PC's existing components without compromising its functionality and aesthetics — luckily, the interior of the PC, optimised for ventilation and with room for expansion, left us some room to work with.
We used a motor to fire the tickets out of the mechanism, the speed of which had to be finely tuned for the tickets to be distributed properly. A hugely significant factor was temperature — if the chosen materials were unable to withstand space's low temperatures, this could affect the level of friction on the mechanism, in turn altering the speed of ticket release and therefore the distribution of tickets. To combat this, we added a thermal regulation system to insulate the mechanism and ensure it remained at working temperature.
The result
CCL's stream of the launch went live on Twitch at 11 a.m. on the 1st of September. You can view the ticket scatter in the video below — we think the results speak for themselves. Good luck to everyone looking for an exclusive CCL space-scattered ticket!
If you're interested in a space launch of your own, please get in touch with the Sent Into Space team.