=Laptop cooler=

[dgrmkrp]

So, what can u do when retail stores either don't have what u need or take a long time to tell you... that they can't help you? well, here is where I come in :) j/k

A friend of mine has a nice laptop, an Amilo M, with a 6800 ultra... and it gets really hot! In load it gets to 80 degrees centigrade! A bit too much to hold on your lap... and while he tried to buy a "normal" cooler from a shop, they held him off for 2 weeks and told him they can't help as there is no such model in their inventory or in the country... weird.. I think those guys are just lazy...

aaaaanyways, the first Q was whether to go 5V, 12V or... more? Well, he decided 220V AC was better! I agree... after testing the fans he bought...
.and w
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/96dc785f.jpg
...One of the victims... sunon 120x120x38mm 220v, 0.14A... that's a whooping 30Watts! But if electricity is not a problem... price: almost 10 Euros...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/ea289049.jpg
Pair of this little suckers... or blowers... really heavy and well-built...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/1bbe04ec.jpg
A huge piece of 2mm aluminum my buddy bought... this will turn into the main body of the cooler.. When choosing between plastic, steel and aluminum... what would u choose? What’s nice about it is a sticker on one side... u can write on it, use it to make cuts and bends...and then peel it off and leave it clean...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/0dbd3bb0.jpg
You might wonder what this is.. Well, it's a thing you would find on your wall and use it to make the lighting/atmosphere more romantic... what will it be used for? Well, logically, 220 fans are not quiet...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/33bbcc44.jpg
And what can I use to cut the aluminum? A steel cutter! Didn’t use it really, because my Bosch disks handled the job just fine...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/87308c43.jpg
"I’m a little show-off" (hihi)... talk about a screen capture: wink: a quick max before anything is cut/bent/drilled/fixed... acceptable...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/b621a980.jpg
And because this is a 220 install, this is the "PSU"...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/a3339531.jpg
First cut done... at first, I was thinking that I will have to cut half-thru and bend... this worked, but I was amazed how easy the blade went thru this type of aluminum..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/87049aec.jpg
Wired a fan for a test... this is a moment I was waiting for a long time... my first 220V mod!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/ffe44050.jpg
FAN SPINNING! Wow... loud and powerful... louder than other 120mm fans I’ve seen, but not louder than a 80mm delta...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/d82dd668.jpg
Holes cut... first hole I cut was done with an old blade... came out rounder.. Second was with a new disc... I roughed it up a bit (the blade), then I was again comfortable with the cutting radius... then I used the de-burr tool and then sanded the hole... a perfect circle was not needed, so I gave up... still, the edge is clean and smooth...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/f466242b.jpg
Me photographing my friend while drilling a hole my way... with a screw driver... got to buy a drill in the near future...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/6ad6c7a6.jpg
Holes "drilled", ready to mount the fans...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/31bcd045.jpg
Fans mounted.. Full speed...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/4cb5cd29.jpg
Another look... and here you can see the side knob, for speed control... turn it down; hear a click, fans stop completely... I want 12v knobs too...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/70fa8956.jpg
Internals... clean... I ran a wire to the "pot", spliced it, ran a phase thru the pot and bypassed the other... Then both phases go to the no1 fan, and then to the no2 fan... in parallel...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/7119d870.jpg
Just a perspective view... the cooler is 410mm wide, 310mm deep and 60mm high..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/1700441b.jpg
Just a tad of graphics and a signature... you won’t see this model anywhere else ;)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/johnny/cef4e3fe.jpg
...and a look of the cooler and its rightful owner... He said his temps have gone 10 degrees lower in idle, and 20+ in load!

The cover coat is nice and white... almost "mirror"... well, my friend likes it :) The cooler itself is tough enough for its job and, except for a few dents achieved in the hammering/bending process, it's nice looking...

So, I’m going to be all tingly inside for a while.. My first hi-flow laptop cooler :)

[Jarnauga]

Oooh looks very cool. :D I like the DIY "fan speed controller" lol. Nice job!

[DaveW]

I've noticed a flaw in the design though...can you actually sit it on your lap without the fans attempting to chop of your legs?

Appart from that, great craftsmanship, clever use of the tools avaliable to you. You should enter the modders challenge. (hint).

-Dave

[Brunhold]

Nice work! A cooler for a long notebooklife.

Specially, I like the "Germany"-tee-shirt!

[gaz_the_chav]

:eek: I have just paid £40 ($74) For one of those brand new

I am gutted :(

[dgrmkrp]

I've noticed a flaw in the design though...can you actually sit it on your lap without the fans attempting to chop of your legs?

Appart from that, great craftsmanship, clever use of the tools avaliable to you. You should enter the modders challenge. (hint).

-Dave

well, that's quite true... should have asked my friend to buy some mesh too.. good idea.. maybe, if he wants thsi, i'll mod it :) 10ks... but the intended role of the cooler is not to be held in the lap... it is powered from the mains.. and it should be like a docking station.. just for cooling.. usually, you can't play at max speed on battery only and so the laptop will sit on the cooler happily and cool when maxed out.. still, good point.. these fans won't chop your legs ;) but the base wasnt made for lap holding.. hmm...


:eek: I have just paid £40 ($74) For one of those brand new

I am gutted :(
this thing cost the following: 2x 15$ for the fans (would have been 15 for two 12V fans), 10$ for aluminum (but only 1/4 of it was used), 6$ the dimmer switch..and 1$ for the wire and plug.. so... 39.5$ plus labour :p

[progbuddy]

Nice one. You should make one of those to fit on a desktop...