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DIY Laptop Cooler

by silverHalo on March 16, 2006

Table of Contents

DIY Laptop Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: DIY Laptop Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Getting some stuff together... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Layout: Customizing your Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Fabrication: Making stuff, Breaking stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4: Fire Baby, Fire! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5: Let there be light: powerslave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 Author:silverHalo author's website
Jack of all trades, master of none, Sigh...... how does one get good at something when there are so many things in this world to learn?

Intro: DIY Laptop Cooler

A plexiglass constructed notebook cooler equiped with spiffy lighted fans for some trippy late night surfing/gaming safari's..

Step 1: Getting some stuff together...

You will need some stuff, so dig around in your parts drawer for the following items:
-a switch (toggle, SPST type)
-some wire (about 22g, roughly a foot or two, coated!)
-sheet of plexiglass or acrylic (a like the 1/4" stuff)
-2 comp. fans (standard 80mm or 120mm)
-some nuts and bolts (#8-32 x 1 1/4")
-old power supply (for this project I used an 24VDC from an old epson receipt printer)
-some tools (Dremel (of course!), hobby knife, Drill, solder gun, solder (the good electronic component stuff) heat shrink tubing, heat gun or blow torch)

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 Image Notes
1. Nuts and bolts (
2. Super neato Blue LED case fan, 80mm (12V)
3. SPST toggle switch, this one lights up when power is ON. Neato!
4. Adhesive feet for non-skid action during Quake tournaments.

Step 2: Layout: Customizing your Cooler

The measurements in the picture are the dimensions for my notebook so be sure to measure yours and adjust accordingly.
First off we start by measuring our laptop to get the dimentions, mine is about 12"x14" so that is what I went with, obviously yours will differ. The initial design calls for a
12"x14" base with 1" piece folded under, a 3" riser section, and another 1" folded under section for the back. This is constructed out of a single piece of Plexiglass that is
melted into shape with either a Heat Gun or Blow Torch. I cut the Plexiglass down to 12x18 as per the measurement we just took, 12" for the base + 3" riser + 1" for the
front underfold + 1" for the back underfold = 18"?? Well, close enough, it saves me from making 2 cuts and that means one less opportunity to break the plexiglass. (I've
cracked a lot in the past.) (Note: leave the protecting sheets on the plexi until the heating gun part to keep from scratching it up).
Score your plexi with a utility knife and straight edge, line up the scored edge face up with the edge of a counter or such and press down to snap the edge clean.
Next lay the plexi over the back of the notebook for fan placement. My Alienware has two intake areas on the bottom and the exhaust ports on the sides. Mark the
corners of the fans so we can scribe the circles and cut them out.

Image Notes
1. Fold under section (back)
2. Body section: will hold fans and support laptop.
3. Fold under section (front)
4. Riser section. Will hold toggle switch and power cord.

Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 1. The "Littles". Found her stuck in a wall in the basement of my work. She's one
tough cookie!
2. Push down while the scored edge is lined up with the edge of table or counter.
Even pressure! Even I say!!

Image Notes
1. Fan placement directly over the harddrive air intake.
2. Fan directly over the Processor air intake. This area has burned my leg in the
past!

Step 3: Fabrication: Making stuff, Breaking stuff

Next using a straightedge, draw a line from the opposite corners of each corner of the marks you made from the fan placement. You should make an X, the center of this
X is the center of your circle. Using a compass or Scribe set to 1.5" (or 40mm for those metricly inclined) draw a circle using the center of the X as the center point, giving
you a 3" or 80mm circle. Repeat for the other fan.
Using a dremel with a circle cutter set for 1.5" radius, cut out the cirlcle. It might help to use a automatic center punch to mark the pivot point to have a deeper hole to
move around on.
Once this is complete you can use some 400 grit sand paper or a fine toothed file to clean up and square the edges if need.
The Switch hole is cut with a cut-off wheel and the power cord hole is drilled. Test fit the switch and the cord keeper, since it is much more difficult to make any
modifications after we make the bends.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 Image Notes
1. Cut using the circle-cutter attachment. Very clean!
2. Cut free handed without the circle-cutter. Not good!

Image Notes
1. Depending on your switch, this hole with vary in size and placement. Use the
dremel/cut-off wheel combo to rough out the hole, then a hobby knife to fine tune
the fit.

Step 4: Fire Baby, Fire!

Here is the fun part, shaping the unit. I suppose a heat gun would have been more practical, not to mention safer, but I used what I had available and an acetelene torch
is all I had. The first fold we will make will be the base of the riser section (1" mark), so lay the line we marked on an edge of something straight ,(better if its fire proof and
not an old dry 2x4 like I used). I'll pretend you are using a heat gun since that would give you more control over the process without cooking the plexi like i did. Moving the
Heat gun back and forth along the line, slowly heat the area until the overhanging plexi starts to sag. After another couple of passes, press the edge down using the fire
proof edge you are heating on as a crease. This will be the 90 degree bend as shown in the illustration.
Next will be the 60 degree bend, it isn't approximate so just start heating and bending until you get the angle you want. I used another piece of wood flatten the crease by
applying a bit of pressure until the plexi cooled enough to retain the shape I created.
For the final fold, I heated up the plexi, folded it under and left it to cool in the desired angle that allowed the unit to sit square on the table. If it wobbles while sitting flat
you can use the heat gun to adjust the fold angles until it is right or just works for you. Also make sure you are folding the correct side, you want your fans to be exactly
where you want them, not on the opposite side!

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 Image Notes
1. Heat on line, broad even strokes!!
2. The good old Prest-a-lite Acet. torch. Burn baby Burn!! HAHAHAHA!!

Image Notes
1. First bend done. 90 degrees. Smashed between two boards till it cools enough
to set up.

Image Notes
1. Second bend. 60ish degrees
2. First bend, 90 degrees.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 Image Notes
1. Finally bend, 30 or so degrees. Just heat and fold under. The angle is correct
when the bottom is flush with the table.

Step 5: Let there be light: powerslave

The fans get installed with the nuts and bolts, make sure you have the fans facing in the correct direction according to the design of your laptop. If your laptop has fans
blowing out the exhaust from the bottom then you want your fans to face down to futher aid in the expelling of hot air away from the unit, increasing circulation. Mine has
intake fans on the bottom and exhaust ports on the side so I chose to face them up to send more air volume into the laptop. Next add the switch to it proper place and
we'll start preping the powersupply.
Using an old wall wort power supply is an easy way to get this thing running but first you have to make sure that you either have enough power to run the fans or if there
is too much that it will cook them and perhaps start a fire and burn up your laptop. In order to avoid both these situations we need the help of our friend Mr. Georg Ohms.
He came up with neato Law that defines the relationships between (P) power, (E) voltage, (I) current, and (R) resistance. . There are many Ohms Law calculators on the
Web that will do the math for you, all you need is two of the four values and it will compute the rest. Now, I am not a electrician, nor do I have any certificates or training,
so alway talk with someone who is qualified when attempting such electrical tom-foolery. Strip the output connector plug of the powersupply carefully with a ulitity knife so
you can see which is the + and - . Printed on the transformer it should tell you which led is + and - , so once you strip back the plug housing you can see which led is
what. Once you have determined which is pos. & neg. , mark them with tape or something so you don't get them mixed up.
I found a 24 Volt 2 amp power supply from an Epson reciept printer that was just about brand new! Now the problem gets interesting, how do we get 24 volts down to a
usable 12 Volts so our little fans don't try to take off when we flip the switch. Lets see, how about we wire them in Series? You know, wiring the positive of the first fan to
the positive of the powersupply, the negitive of the first fan to the positive of the second fan and then the negitive of the second fan to the powersupply ground led (see
the diagram). This will double the Ohms (60 X 2) to make 120 Ohms since adding them in Series creates more resistance (add the value of the Ohms per fan to get the
total). So in your Ohms calculator add the 120 Ohms on to the 24 Volt power supply, hit calculate and it gives us .2 Amps at 4.8 Watts. The .2 Amps is what our fans
desire and the fact that we wired them in Series will make each take 12 Volts away from the 24V power supply, so 24 Volts divided by 2 (2 fans) = 12 Volts. So each fan
get its required 12 Volts and the proper .2 amps, and all is well. If the power supply was only 12V and we wired the fans in series then each fan would only be running on
6 Volts each or 1/2 the speed they can run. So less voltage and the fans would spin slower which would be OK as long as the Amps were within the fans range and you
didn't mind less cooling potential. More voltage will make them spin faster and either burn out or burn up.
The diagram below has the simplified wiring, nothing really complicated once you get the current worked out. You can see that the DC Voltage running through the open
circut is 11.87 Volts (we'll call it 12V). I thought about putting a rheostat (speed control) in line to adjust the fan speed in case I wanted quiter operation, but the fans are
super quiet so I didn't see any point. After everything is tested and working correctly, break out the soldering iron and the shrink tubing.
The Yellow led coming out of the fans is for monitoring the fan speed when attached to the motherboard. It is not used in this project. I just twisted it around either the
positive (red) or negitive (black) leds and stuffed it into the shrink tubing to keep it out of the way. The power cord is feed into the hole we drilled and is held in by the
Strain Relief Bushing.Slide the shrink tube on to one end of the wire, twist the two leds together, solder, slide the shrink tubing over the soldered joint and heat with a
lighter or heat gun. For the switch connectors I used I used female crimp-on quck connect type lugs that just slide onto the male lugs on the switch. Small cable ties can
be used to clean up all the loose wires and secure them from getting caught in the fans.
This project can be found in more detail and a ton of pics on my website. http://www.robertreznik.com/DIY/Laptop%20CoolerV01.htm
Thanks and good luck!

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
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Comments
40 comments Add Comment

newbiest says: Feb 13, 2011. 7:47 AM REPLY

If one is building a base from scratch, why not use a single big fan with a similar diameter to the laptop's length? :) Wouldn't it cool better while being
quieter?

ZeroXL91 says: Mar 17, 2011. 4:49 AM REPLY

You could, if you're going to do that use two Megaflow 200mm case fans from Cooler Master.

newbiest says: Mar 17, 2011. 6:33 PM REPLY

yeah, 200 mm or even 250 mm would do the job perfectly :)

silverHalo says: Feb 24, 2011. 10:46 PM REPLY

That would be a big fan!

newbiest says: Mar 17, 2011. 6:04 PM REPLY

Hello! I'm sorry for not answering earlier but when I got this email I didn't remember having signed up for this forum so I mistook it for spam. Now that
I got a second email I finally realized it wasn't :P. Yes this would definitely be a big fan but size matters right? heheh ;) I just don't understand why
don't manufacturers do that because it would probably be more efficient and quieter. But it's probably more expensive also... Far from sure but I feel
that way

ryanboosh says: Oct 29, 2010. 11:50 AM REPLY

im building one right now, and i just picked up 4 fans with these specs...
Rated Voltage: 12 volts
Operation Voltage: 10.2-13.8 Volts
Input Current: 0.15 Amps
Input Power: 1.8 Watts Max

but im not to sure what the Ohms ratings are on the fans. now ive found a few different power supplies lying around my house to choose from. here are thier
specs.

Output: 12V- 1.66A

Output: 18V- 600mA
Output: 12V-1000mA

if anyone could help me out, that would be great :)

silverHalo says: Nov 7, 2010. 10:31 AM REPLY

If you wired all 4 fans in Parallel they would all pull 12V @ 150mA each. So all 4 fans together are drawing a total of 600mA's. (150 +150 +150
+150=600). So either of the 12V power supply you have would suffice. Just remember to wire the fans in Parallel and not in Series.

ZeroXL91 says: Mar 17, 2011. 4:51 AM REPLY

It would be easier to just buy a 12v power supply from eBay with 2000MA, they're 5 bucks, just chop off the barrel plug, strip the heatshrink and wire,
and viola!

dylanw says: Jan 30, 2011. 7:48 AM REPLY

how do you wire the fans in parallel and series

silverHalo says: Feb 24, 2011. 10:58 PM REPLY

Series is one after another in a row. For example, the red wire of fan #1 is connected to the black wire of fan #2. That leaves the black wire of fan #1 to
connect to the negative side of the power source and the red wire of fan #2 to the positive side of the power source. (See my illustration in the
instructable above).
When you wire in Series, the voltage of the fans gets added together.. (so 12v fan + 12v fan = 24v's of power it needs to run them, so you need a 24v
powersupply.).

Parallel is when the black (negative) wire of fan #1 and the black wire of fan #2 both go to the Negative of the power supply and the red wires of both
fans go to the power supply's Positive side. Then both fans are only using 12 volts of power but the amperage is doubled. So if both fans were 12V @
500mA then you would need a 12V 1A power supply. (500mA + 500mA =1A)

There are a lot of better explanations on the web, just Google wiring in series & parallel.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 farfrmsane1211 says: Sep 25, 2010. 9:00 PM REPLY
Ahahah non-skid action during quake tournaments, thats awome.

Great instructable BTW =D

bgerlt says: Aug 8, 2010. 10:50 AM REPLY

I have a question, still learning so be patient please.

Couldn't you power the fans through a USB port on the laptop?

Or would they draw to much power through the laptop power supply or battery?

silverHalo says: Aug 8, 2010. 12:15 PM REPLY

Standard computer case fans (like the ones I used) are powered by 12 volts. USB ports only supply 5 Volts of power @ 500 milliamps, so they wouldn't
even turn the fan blades, not enough juice. There are 5 Volt fans available that you can buy that will work, but usually they are smaller in size.

cylove says: Jul 28, 2010. 11:38 PM REPLY

is there any codes, schematic diagram, circuit diagram for this? thank you in advance!

silverHalo says: Jul 29, 2010. 6:34 AM REPLY

I have a pictorial diagram and long explanation of how to wire it up in step 5. There really isn't much to it to necessitate a schematic, just a power supply,
a fan or two, and a switch. If you use 12v fans and a 12v powersupply then you can just wire them up in series.... If you can find some 5v fans then you
can actually use the USB port as your powersupply instead since they supply 5v @ 1/2 amps....

cnorwood says: Mar 12, 2010. 10:56 AM REPLY

nice i may have to try this at home or hack my 9 dollar cooler pad i hate i ever bought.

zack247 says: Jun 7, 2010. 10:55 PM REPLY

yes. those cooler pads stores sell surely arent very effective. the fans are in the same place on all of them

shooby says: May 26, 2010. 12:02 PM REPLY

I do a lot of work with plexi when making models. Generally it's considered a good idea to heat it in a well ventilated area, because when heated
plexiglass/acrylic gives off toxic fumes. Don't fry your brain to cool your laptop.

kevin07 says: Jan 15, 2010. 8:55 AM REPLY

THANKS A LOT!!!!!
I made this cooler and it is great. It looks great but i think i am going to refine the electronics a little bit. Now my sister wants one :>)

SmAsH! says: Nov 9, 2009. 1:59 PM REPLY

have you thought about putting the fans in parallel?
then both could have 12v from a 12v supply...

silverHalo says: Nov 9, 2009. 8:58 PM REPLY

Yep, that would be ideal, but all I had at the time was a free 24V power supply. So that what I used.
Cheers!

SmAsH! says: Nov 9, 2009. 9:50 PM REPLY

Ahh, i see. Then its all good.

ledzeppie says: Mar 10, 2007. 3:33 PM REPLY

nice...loks good...my laptop stand is some k'nex which is actually working really good since u have good airflow without any fans.....the fan can be powered
off a 9v battery just to let u know..it drains it fast but w/e...... im going to try and get my dad to get some plastic so i can make this thing it looks cool....my
knex one is a poormans stand lol

Yerboogieman says: Apr 7, 2008. 9:57 PM REPLY

plexiglass?

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 ledzeppie says: Apr 7, 2008. 10:08 PM REPLY
plexiglass (or acrylic) is a form of plastic.

NRoberts says: Mar 17, 2006. 9:20 AM REPLY

Nice project, cool idea. One addition since your dealing w/ a laptop, you should make it more portable. What about making the fans USB powered. I forget
what it puts out, something like 9v or so. Should still give you enough not to roast the boys if ya know what I mean!

Yerboogieman says: Apr 7, 2008. 9:55 PM REPLY

5v 500mA

slater101 says: Jul 7, 2007. 5:35 AM REPLY

I made a portable one out of lightweight masonite and is powered by USB also... look for it HERE

colin says: Mar 17, 2006. 12:33 PM REPLY

USB can deliver 500mA at 5V, so in order to run the fans at 12V you're going to need to use a switching regulator to upconvert the voltage. This can be
done with a few chips and an inductor (I'll probably post an Instructable soon with the Eagle files) but your max current will drop correspondingly which
means that you'll have a hard time driving your fans. Switching to lower voltage fans would obviously make it simpler.

silverHalo says: Mar 17, 2006. 4:43 PM REPLY

Sweet! Can't wait for the specs on the current reg., I'll be more than happy to make a fly portable version with some tiny low volt fans!

ledzeppie says: Mar 10, 2007. 6:32 PM REPLY

i just made mine but i used wood instead of plasic and man its pretty noisy....i need to get some rubber or something to put on the bottom to absorb the
vibrations....anyone got any ideas on how to make it less noisy???

FoiL says: Apr 14, 2007. 5:43 PM REPLY

you could try putting rubber on the feet, or you can put tyhe fans at a lower voltage, lets say 7volts is enough

ledzeppie says: Mar 10, 2007. 3:36 PM REPLY

u should try making a small peice of plexiglass or w/e come up the back of the laptop with 2 leds on the end so u can light up the keyboard for when you are
using your laptop in the dark

kccupp_2000 says: Nov 29, 2006. 3:27 AM REPLY

if you have a usb cord from a broken ipod you can strip it and use this to hook your fans up to it. that taakes carer of your power issues.

Identity says: Sep 6, 2006. 6:53 PM REPLY

I too have an Alienware with a storied history of overheating. When I get the time, hopefully I can implement this. Thanks for the ideas.

ceebee says: Apr 1, 2006. 3:30 PM REPLY

i actualy built a very basic one in my metalshop class. Basicly I just screwed a fan to the stand and took an old 12v adapter, striped it, wired it to the fan w/ a
switch i bought at the hardware store. Its been working perfectly for over 2 years now and i run it almost constantly. I've got a powerbook (get very hot) and
because its metal, just cooling the bottom surface actualy keeps the temp down at around 52ºC from 60º I didnt want to use a usb power supply mainly
because of complexity and also usb uses energy wich = heat.

pescabicicleta says: Mar 17, 2006. 10:04 AM REPLY

For a lower-rent (and lower performance) but more portable solution, I took two of those rubber plugs that are used to protect sheetrock walls from door
knobs, and attached them with a length snipped from a zip tie. Two of these work as a base for my laptop, lifting it off the table surface, allowing air to
circulate, and thus keeping it cooler.

silverHalo says: Mar 17, 2006. 10:51 AM REPLY

I'm working on a portable verison sans the fans, that folds up to a small footprint. Having a laptop that weights 10 pounds one doesn't want to carry
around much else :)

silverHalo says: Mar 16, 2006. 10:54 PM REPLY

I'll try to simplify the wiring part, but I know there are those who want to know "How" and "Why" so they don't kill their project or themselves. It's better to
understand what's going on then to just throw some stuff together and have it blow up in your face. I see lots of projects that frighten me do to lack of
education, I always hope that they and their house are still standing! As far as overclocking goes... it's an Alienware! If I overclock it, it will explode!! Seriously
though, with the cooler I can play 6 hours straight of HalfLife 2 at 1680x1050 res. without it shutting down, crashing, or overheating!! This thing gets smokin'
hot without it!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/
 colin says: Mar 16, 2006. 10:19 PM REPLY
Nice project. I love the aesthetic. Blue edge lit plexiglass is oh-so-nice. It would be cool if you could simplify the powersupply discussion though, (it took a
while to make it through all that text.) Were you able to overlock the laptop after doing this?

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Laptop-Cooler/