PDA

View Full Version : Laptop cooler



dgrmkrp
09-06-2006, 01:59 PM
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 :)


Link To Original Thread (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4122)