Make a Removable Laptop Water Cooler! and Other Cool Devices

This Instructables will show you how to make an awesome water cooled heat extractor and pad cooler for your laptop.
So what is this heat extractor really? Well it's a device designed to make your laptop cool - in every meaning of the word. It can also make the fan obsolete and therefore completely silent. The pad cooler is intended for your HDD, graphics card, CPU or other devices that run hot.
This technique can also be used to make custom radiators in almost any sizes. Be sure to check every picture for more details!

This video shows you how easy and quick it is to install the pad cooler on a laptop HDD!

Step 1: Materials

You will need:

Copper plating (0.5 mm)
Copper tubing (I used 4 x 6 mm copper brakeline pipe)
Plate scissors (type straight)
Solder and flux
A stove or a blow torch
Laser printer and normal paper
Iron
6 mm Lip and spur drill ("centre tapped")
Power drill
Plastic tubing
Zip-ties
Aluminum tape
Bilge pump (or just run it from the tap)

Step 2: Making the Template

Clean the copper plate using alcohol or just soap and water. The templates are made in MS Paint and laser-printed on normal paper. Soak the templates in water for a couple of minutes and place them face down on the copper, making sure there are no bubbles or creases.

Make use of that old T-shirt and place a single layer on top of the template. Iron at max temp making sure that the centre of the iron covers all areas. After a while the water dries up and that's your cue to apply some more pressure. When you think you're done, do it some more.

Step 3: Peeling and Drilling

Remove the template immediately after ironing while it's still hot. This is important!

You are now ready for drilling and cutting. This method can be used in the exact same manner to make printed circuit boards (PCB's).

Drilling precise holes can be a real struggle when using handheld power tools, even when using platinum coated HSS drill bits. The reason for this is that the copper can easily warp and the holes will then be misaligned. Remember that only a 1 mm off at the centre will result in a noticeable skewed fin at the end. The solution is to use a lip and spur drill, the "centre tapped" kind normally used for drilling in wood. Be sure to use slow speeds and drill on a flat wooden surface.

Step 4: The Final Cut. Almost

Cutting is pretty straight forward if you have a plate cutter. You could also use a regular pair of scissors -it only takes a bit more patience.

Cut the pipes and insert them into the fins. They should make a snug fit.
Inserting coins as temporary spacers will give you that professional finish I know you're looking for.

It's now ready for soldering (last picture). You could use a hot plate on a stove or a blowtorch. Make sure you clean the parts well before soldering and use a solder that contain flux.

Step 5: Making Ends Meet

This is a "end loop" made from a piece of plastic tubing. To make it, insert a length of wire (or any other flexible rod etc.), heat it gently and bend. The end flare is made by treading the tube over a piece of copper tubing and again heating it gently.

Step 6: Now Chill

This one has 7 blades. It protrudes about 9 mm out of the chassis which isn't bad at all. The pad cooler in the last picture is really a great way to keep your data and lap happy.

Now all you have to do is to hook it up to a bilge pump, or the tap water, or your local cryo lab, or... Use your imagination. Running some tubes on the back of your screen will make for the coolest most silent laptop in your neighbourhood. Please also have a look at my
other Instructables and rate them as you like:)