In "rack" cooling - updated

In my house I keep my linux box in a modified side table.

I removed the back, but it seems the external drives get a bit warmer in the summer months than I would like.

A trip to radioshack fixed this.

After doing this the first time, I decided to add an extra fan/

Also if anyone has a small (less than 10" ) vga lcd screen source, let me me know.

Thanks,
-Joe

Step 1 Parts

12v Power supply
2x12v Computer fan (I used the Thermaltake with leds)
M-Type inline dc power jack

Comments

[Berserk87]

turning the fans on/off with a microcontroller and a temperature sensor is fairly simple, but im not sure or your electrical knowledge. maybe ill make an instructable on it.

[PKM]

An actual microcontroller is probably overkill- I'm thinking a temperature sensor and a few discrete components could do the job. Microcontrollers have made me lazy and I've forgotten exactly how I'd wire that up purely in the analog world, but if you are allowed an op-amp chip I could probably do it with just that and a potentiometer, temperature sensor and a transistor or relay to control the motor. Maybe I'll do one of those- need an excuse to go to Maplin anyway and my computer runs hot in this weather as well.

[SmAsH!]

No, something like the temp sensor lm335z with a small microcontroller like the attiny2313 or similar could work great for this, attach a transistor to one of the pins and have the power flow across the transistor when the pin is high, could work great! But you are right, a comparator circuit with a temp sensor and possibly an op amp could work too...

[setsunafseiei]

Quick question, which method would you recommend: - Air flowing into the rack ("pulling" the air into the cross when you close your rack) or - Air flowing out / exhausting from the cross ("pulling" the hot air out of the rack)?

[joe]

I think you want to pull cool air in and go across the devices and blow the hot air out the back. That is the way that real servers and telco gear operate. -Joe