Who needs fancy disk coolers?

[xmastree]

Right in front of the disks is a mounting for a 3" fan, so I attacked it with my Dremel and fitted one.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f341/chrispollard/cooldisks.jpg

Once the front panel's in place, it's completely hidden. It draws air from inside the case through those |O|O|O|O|O| holes and blows it back across the disks.

Cheap, and effective. 8)

[DaveW]

Simple idea, but you need to work on your 'professionalism' if you get my meaning-for example, you could tidy up those cables and put all 4 screws into the fan instead of just 2.

But, overall, a simple mod that would increase the life of your HD's. Nice one.

-Dave

[xmastree]

The cables don't show with the covers on, and there are only two screw holes, the others are just dimples.
If anything, I ought to clean up the edges of that hole... It was previously perforated and I just 'joined the dots' with the dremel.

[Omega]

so basically, you cut off the grille?


now, you should cut a hole in your front panel, put a tube, bondo, paint, etc.

=D

[Hasbios]

so basically, you cut off the grille?


now, you should cut a hole in your front panel, put a tube, bondo, paint, etc.

=D

I agree...

[xmastree]

Well, I don't have either the time or the skill...
And anyway, I would need to relocate this little lot:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f341/chrispollard/front.jpg

Hmm... if I retained the black square in the centre, and left it connected at the four corners with the silver buttons, and just cut out four trapezium shaped slots...

[Omega]

geuss how you get the skill?

by doing it. alot. and experimenting. and ****ing up. and going back. and going it agian.

[xmastree]

Sounds like the start of a long road... :eek:

[Omega]

seriously though, recirc'd air is kind of a bad idea, because you're pulling hot air over the drives, over and over agian.

give that pup a breath of fresh air.

[xmastree]

Point taken, although there's a good exhaust fan (also with no grill) on the back, as well as the PSU fan. There's a lot of air coming out, therefore there must be an equal amount getting through all the vents. There's a vent right next to the disks, so I imagine most of what goes in there gets blown over the disks first.
The disks are noticably cooler since I fitted that fan. No figures, but just by touching them I can notice a big difference.

[Omega]

the finger test is only useful to a certain degree.


also, it doesn't matter too much wether it has a grille or not. if the mesh is tight, then i will actually force the air to go FASTER, making it COOLER.

[xmastree]

The air travelling through the holes may well be faster, but the overall volume/time would be less. I'm sure my open fan on the back pulls out mote air than it would if it had a grille. I don't mean a wire grille, I mean a lot of 2mm holes in a plate.

The guys who design Formula one cars have the right idea about cooling. Draw air in through a small hole into a widening chamber. The loss of pressure as it expands cools it down, then pass it over the radiator more slowly to give it more time to pick up the heat.

If I were really that serious, I ought to measure the temps with no fan, fit the fan but leave the grille and measure again, then cut the grlle and measure again. But I'm not... as it is, they're much cooler, the mess is invisible, and i'm happy with it. 8)