Active laptop stand Crazy hands

For more than 4 years I have been using a laptop as a replacement for a desktop. After switching to a laptop, a couple of very significant drawbacks were noticed for me: long-term work under load causes quite a lot of heating of the main components and the surface of the laptop, and that the screen level is below the comfort zone. Having suffered a little, at the beginning of 2009 a 4 mm plexiglass stand with 2 120 mm fans was quickly concocted.

Time passed, and in November 2011, I changed my old Acer TravelMate 5520 to a more modern one. Acer Aspire 5750. The old stand did not fit the new laptop a little in terms of ventilation holes, tilt angle, and besides, the bent legs got tired and cracked. So it was decided to make a new, improved one.

At first there was an idea to make it from 2-3 mm aluminum sheet, but the search for a suitable material with an acceptable price was not successful. The next idea was to use a cover from an old computer case as a material. At a local flea market, there was an old AT case with a U-shaped lid of suitable sizes.

To begin with, everything was once again measured, estimated and planned. in order not to greatly damage the paint in places where the saw was cut with an electric jigsaw, masking tape was glued.

It’s good that there was still one wall left from the U-shaped cover, with which, after the second time, everything was still cut and drilled correctly:

After preliminary polishing it turned out:

This was followed by cleaning and painting with black matte paint in thin 4 layers. It immediately became clear that I polished a little carelessly - in some places you can see scratches from the sandpaper, and all because of the fact that I was in a hurry. But still, I didn’t remake it, since this place will still be under the bottom of the laptop.

A fan speed controller was also assembled based on the LM2940 voltage regulator (similar circuit), the voltage adjustment range at an input of 11.82V was from 5.24V to 11.62V, the rubber feet were borrowed from the mixer repair kit and put on double-sided tape. The fans I used were 135mm Scythe Slip Stream (SM1425SL12H) which were bought on the cheap over a year ago. The stand is powered by an external power supply 12V 1.5A. The result is a device like this:

The drop in temperature during a cursory measurement on the processor was 7-10 degrees on the video card 8-13.

The project turned out to be very extended in time due to lack of time and opportunities, but in the end it was finally completed and lived up to expectations.

vGamBIT, people.overclockers.ru

As you know, the life of semiconductor elements is highly dependent on the temperature at which they operate. Often the standard laptop cooling system does not cope well with heavy loads, so the coolers have to work at full capacity. And in idle mode, that is, without load, in most laptops the fan turns on from time to time, diverting attention to itself. Such variable turning on/off of the cooler leads to temperature fluctuations of the processor, which negatively affects its service life. A body expands when heated and contracts when cooled. Let these changes in size be millionths of a micron, but over time, the semiconductor ages.

To prolong the life of my laptop, immediately after buying it, I decided to make a cooling system for it with my own hands.

Disadvantages of existing cooling systems

Having looked at various devices on the Internet, I noticed that most of them cool the laptop case directly. However, their efficiency is very low. But after all, every laptop has ventilation holes through which the radiator is visible. And this radiator cools the processor and other components. So, you need to help the built-in cooler to remove heat from the radiator.

Homemade cooling system

Photos

Here's what came out of it:

Description

I have Asus X51RL. I can say that I was lucky, because its radiator does not come out from the side, but from the back. Thanks to this, a home-made system stands behind and covers the screen. Before installing this device, the temperature of the processor in a quiet mode of operation rose to 55 degrees, then the regular fan turned on, drove the temperature to 47 degrees and turned off. And so every five minutes. Naturally, this harmed the processor and my nerves. After installing a man-made cooling system, the processor temperature is constantly kept at around 43-45 degrees. That is, the temperature dropped by an average of 10 degrees. The stock cooler is resting. It sometimes connects at the lowest speed in games and during heavy archiving. Due to the fact that the device sucks air through the radiator, the overall temperature of the laptop has decreased and it does not heat up. For example, HDD before installing the system, it heated up to 45-50 degrees, and now it is no more than 40.

Design

The design is very simple. The case is made from a piece of cardboard from a folder for papers. Basically, it can be made from anything. Fan - regular 120 mm cooler for system block at 12 volts. It can be powered from the laptop's built-in USB port, but there is a risk of burning it in case of a short circuit. Therefore, it is better to buy the simplest 12 volt power supply. If the cooler seems too noisy when powered by 12 volts, you can easily reduce the voltage with a resistor. Cardboard and cooler are glued with glue and additionally secured with insulating tape. The inlet of the cooling system must be sealed against the radiator opening.

Operating experience

More than 5 months have passed since the start of this installation. I decided to clean the laptop from dust and wrote an article about it. If you read it and looked at the photos, you noticed that inside back cover a very thin layer of dust has accumulated. As it turned out, the homemade cooling system literally sucked out all the air by force. Dust has appeared on the cooler impeller.

Thus, this device did not allow the accumulation of dirt inside the laptop. As a preventive measure, I supplemented the lubrication of its bearing with engine oil.

The laptop is specially designed for user mobility. With it, you can work, chat with friends, watch clips anywhere and in any position.

It is very convenient to wrap yourself in a warm blanket after an evening shower and read new messages in the evening before going to bed. in social networks or in e-mail. But you can’t talk about comfort if you have to keep the laptop on your lap and use the touch mouse.

In addition, proper use of the laptop means placing it on a flat hard surface during operation to ensure the full functioning of the cooling fan. Consider interesting ideas for hand-made stands and tables for a laptop.

Variants of wooden tables

It is difficult to find such a piece of furniture in the store, so it’s easier to make a table for a laptop with your own hands. The task is facilitated when there are skills in working with wood.

Option 1

A table made of natural wood looks stylish and noble.

The tabletop consists of two parts: one is rigidly fixed and is used for computer mouse, connected devices and a cup of coffee, the other is movable with height adjustment for convenient positioning of the laptop. To stop the laptop, a wooden plank is screwed at the bottom of the movable part. In addition, the table has foldable legs, which makes it compact for storage.

For the manufacture of countertops, you can use glued furniture board made of beech, ash or oak, as well as parts of old furniture. For the legs you will need small bars. First, a supporting frame is made, to which the table top and legs are subsequently attached. Structural parts are bolted.

The movable part of the tabletop is connected to the frame with two hinges. To adjust the angle of inclination, a clamp for plastic windows is installed. At the last stage, the wooden table must be treated with a tinted coating and colorless varnish.

Option 2

A cute and elegant folding transforming table can be made not only from wood. The next photo shows a light small table made from unused chipboard residues. The rounded corners of the tabletop and legs complicate the manufacturing process, but give the product a special elegance.

As a stand for a laptop, two thrust pads are screwed into the tabletop, which, if necessary, are freely unscrewed. To fix the movable part of the tabletop in the raised position, a steel bar is used, which is inserted into the recess on the reverse side of the tabletop. In this version, the angle of the table top is not adjustable.

To get high-quality processed parts without chips, it is advisable to order cutting at any nearby furniture workshop. However, if you have all the necessary tools and skills, you can achieve a good result with your own hands. The assembly of parts is carried out on euro screws, the movable part of the tabletop is fixed with a piano loop. The stand (steel bar) for the tabletop is attached to the transverse bar of the frame.

Option 3

For the manufacture of a light and comfortable table for a laptop, shown in the following photo, plywood is suitable. The adjustable movable part of the tabletop has small holes for better ventilation and prevention from overheating. The legs, as in the previous versions, are folding.

Cutting and assembly of parts is carried out in the same way as in the previous versions. The clamp for the movable part of the tabletop, made in the form of a frame, is fixed to its inner side. For fixing in the desired position, the latch is inserted into one of the three grooves on the crossbar of the frame.

Option 4

A simple small wooden table with a beautifully curved solid top can be used not only for working at a laptop, but also for writing or drinking tea on the sofa in front of the TV. It is easy to put it on the bed, and if necessary, you can quickly remove it by folding the legs.

To assemble such a table, it is enough to cut out three parts and movably connect them with the help of loops.

Option 5

Another easy-to-use version of a small multifunctional table.

Such a homemade accessory has non-folding legs and a solid table top. Its dimensions are ideal for a laptop and breakfast in bed.

The following models also have a simple design.

Option 6

You can quickly and easily make your own laptop table from inexpensive chipboard or MDF material. Such a piece of furniture will not attract too much attention and will harmoniously fit into a modern interior. It can also be used as a bedside table for a phone, watch and other little things.

Option 7

If you do not want to use any screws and screws, then next option your. For those who know how to cut beautifully with a jigsaw, making such a masterpiece is not difficult. The figured legs are simply inserted into the holes in the thin plywood tabletop.

Laptop stands made of plastic pipes

Cutting water and sewer pipes after repair or construction work can be useful for the manufacture of the original stand.

To make a laptop stand with your own hands from PVC plastic pipes, it will take very little time. First, the lengths are cut according to the size of the laptop, and then they are connected using corners when heated, as shown in the video. The finished product is covered with spray paint. The color is chosen according to the interior or according to personal preferences.

The result is a neat and convenient stand with very low cost.

No less practical is the next version of the table, which is convenient to use while sitting on a sofa or bed.

The advantage of this option is that such a table-stand can move close to the sofa and take up a minimum of space, and its height allows you to work comfortably in a sitting position.

The most cost-effective laptop stands in minutes

If you need to solve the problem of cooling the device quickly and inexpensively, then you can use the thick cardboard of old boxes from under household appliances. Cardboard coasters perfectly cope with their purpose and take up little space on the desktop.

The idea shown in the photo consists of only three cutouts, which are connected using slots on the side supports. The advantage of this option is the simplicity of the design. To make the product fit better into the interior, the cardboard can be pasted over with wrapping paper or painted with paint.

A slightly different design is suggested in the next photo.

A homemade laptop stand can also serve as an organizer, as in the photo below.

For its manufacture, ventilation holes and holes for round legs are cut out of thick cardboard. The legs are made from cardboard cylinders of any available diameter. Inside the cylinders, a bottom is installed at the desired height from foam or cardboard, which acts as a depth limiter for the stand legs. Then the legs are tightly screwed into the holes on the tabletop.

Thus, using improvised materials, you can make high-quality and reliable laptop stands without additional financial costs.

Any user personal computer sooner or later, but thinks about the need to increase performance operating system, reduce the noise emitted by computer components, as well as achieve greater cooling of the components of the system unit or laptop, which to some extent will lead to improved computer performance as a whole. If for owners of stationary computers everything is quite simple, just open the lid and simply clean the components from dust or, if necessary, replace the cooling system, since this is done once or twice, then for owners of laptops / netbooks everything is somewhat more complicated. Of course, many modern gaming devices are already equipped with liquid cooling system which makes it possible, in principle, not to pay special attention to such issues.

How to make a laptop cooling pad yourself.

For general segment laptop computers there are not so many ways to achieve more power from the existing cooling system - this is the same cleaning of the fan blades from dust, its physical replacement, which does not always really improve temperature performance. In this case, help specialized coasters, which are a metal or plastic substrate, inside which there is a fan, or more commonly known as a cooler that works on blowing in or blowing out. Such systems can be freely found in any computer store, as they are in demand regularly and have an affordable price. But, as mentioned above, the principle of their operation is elementary - these are 1 or 2 large "burdocks" that are powered by the computer's power supply using a regular USB cable. So why not make such a stand yourself, add a unique design to it, and at the same time save a lot of money? This is what will be discussed in this article.

Of course, everyone needs to sensibly assess their capabilities and in the selection of components, and in their installation and, in principle, be aware of the expediency of the intended action. So why is it beneficial. For example, there is an ASUS K95VJ laptop with a screen diagonal of 18.4 inches. The search for the cooling system in question found that all noteworthy options cost about 2,000 rubles and more. Indeed, taking into account modern realities, this amount does not seem significant, but I don’t really want to give that kind of money for a beautiful case with backlight, in fact, a dummy. And in principle, this is a rather dubious investment of funds, saving which you can, for example, invest in the purchase of components. That is why the author of this article, like many other users, set out to make a cooling pad on his own with a minimum investment. Money and wasted time.

Where to begin

As with any workflow, you should start with a budget / plan and determine the future stages of installation, which will be discussed below.

Step 1 Drawing up an estimate and a schematic plan

• To begin with, it is worth answering a few questions:
• “What expectations are placed on the future creation” - for example (for the author of the article here and below), this is a convenient substrate, located at a slight angle, and 1/2 cooler for blowing in and out. And the goal is to achieve decrease in temperature indicators at least 5 degrees.
• “What amount can be allocated for this” - a budget of 500 rubles.
• “What size / dimensions” - since the device has a diagonal of 18.4 inches, then, taking into account the location of its legs, the length will be about 36 * 38 cm, width 35-37 cm.
• "From what to make the body / base." Considering that ASUS K95VJ weighs more than 4 kilograms, the material must be strong, but at the same time it is desirable to achieve small dimensions and lightness. With these requests, polypropylene pipes for water with a diameter of 20 mm had to cope quite calmly.
• “What to make a substrate for mounting the cooler from” – the weight of the cooler is minimal, and there will be no load on the substrate, therefore, excessive strength is not required from it. Accordingly, the choice fell on an assortment of stationery, namely a folder with a metal clip and the most dense / rough cardboard.
• “What is already available” - there is already an old cooling pad from the device of the same Asus brand, but with a screen diagonal of 13 inches, from which you can remove the cooler and power port.
• “What tools / items will be required additionally”:
  • Ruler, meter or tape measure.
  • Stationery knife or scissors.
  • Drill / screwdriver, drills and screwdriver.
  • Hacksaw or jigsaw.
  • Marker, tape.
  • Bolts, nuts, washers.
  • Glue gun or double sided tape.
  • Furniture stapler or plain transparent tape.

Step 2. Purchasing materials

Considering that the list of items and tools given above does not require additional costs, since any average man has all this, all that remains is to buy:

• “polypropylene pipes” - 1.5 / 2 meters of pipe (with a margin) on average costs about 100 rubles (in the example, in fact it turned out 75 rubles * 1.5 m.).
• "corners and tees" - four corners at 90 degrees and two tees - in total cost 27 rubles.
• “Binder folder” - from what we managed to find in the nearest stores, there was a folder with a fairly thick cardboard worth 120 rubles.

Total: 222 rubles.

Installation

Taking into account the scheme above, the direct installation process should also be divided into two parts: the first is the assembly of the case, the second is the assembly and installation of the substrate with the cooling system.

Frame

It is worth noting that further for the frequency of narration, individual indicators will be described that correspond to the request and the size of the laptop. And it would also not be superfluous to clarify that the author’s possession of tools is at the usual household level, therefore there are roughnesses and irregularities in the details and, in general, the final result does not claim any visual and aesthetic laurels.

So let's get started:

Fan

As mentioned above, the old device has a fan with a power button and a port for connecting a USB cable. A board with a speed controller and several backlight elements with a total cost of 100 rubles were purchased separately, which increased the total amount to 322 rubles. The rest of the procedure is as follows:

Here it is worth saying a few words about how the fan should be positioned correctly - for blowing in or for blowing out. Opinions in this case differ, someone believes that if air is supplied directly to the laptop case, then dust will clog into the ventilation holes, which will increase the frequency of cleaning the computer from dirt, but will cool it to a lesser extent. We partly agree with this statement. Therefore, as mentioned above, it is planned to install two elements in the stand, one will work to supply air to the case, the other - to remove it from the case, which will achieve better circulation.

It should also be explained why the cooler is installed in this way in the figure. The fact is that the old cooling system had a fan that was attached directly to the plastic substrate, which did not imply its installation in the manner in question. Therefore, it was necessary to cut out its holding plastic part and place it in such a way that the blades were below the level of the cardboard. This was easy to achieve - just use three screws, nine nuts and six washers. That is, the connection has the following scheme - screw-washer-washer-nut-body-nut. Such a scheme allows you to lower the fan to the desired depth and at the same time achieve its strong fixation.

Power and backlight

The final stage is to install power ports, a board with a speed controller and, if necessary, backlight elements. The ports and board were placed on the left side of the stand, and a glue gun was used to fix it. In the absence of it, you can use double-sided tape. Illumination purchased from service center for mere pennies along with the board, it has a short length, so it was placed only on one side of the laptop and fixed with electrical tape.

Alternative

As an alternative, and perhaps even more budgetary, option, one can single out a fairly popular scheme, where only the resources of the folder folder are used as a stand. The principle of installation is the same: cut a hole for the cooler, fix it and make limiters for the angle of inclination. This option was not considered, since the laptop weighs more than 4 kg. and has significant dimensions, there was a high probability that such a cooling system simply could not withstand it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it will not be superfluous to repeat once again that the end result is a mixture of ordinary instrument skills and minimal cash costs. Now directly about the actual benefits created additional system cooling. Temperature readings were tested after 20 minutes of active web surfing and watching a movie.

Figure 1 provides test data from the 20th minute of operation.

Figure 2 provides indicators for the period from 20 to 30/31 minutes active work. As you can see, the declared result of 5 degrees was achieved without any problems.

Yes, this is not to say that these are outstanding results, but taking into account the actual costs and time spent, creating a cooling pad yourself pays off in full.