I got a lot of modern and old electronics accumulated in my workshop over the years, and i always liked the idea of salvaging electronics and reuse or recycle them, some times just for the challenge. And as we all know the old electronics are full of good and awesome components, like variable capacitors, flyback transformers and coils, but the main problem with them is desoldering, not the desoldering it self but the smoke released by the old solder and flux that has that " facial recognition system " wherever you move your face the smoke follows you (it's just electrostatic attraction i guess) .

In the past i used to put a fan to blow the smoke away, but it fixed one problem and brought problems, so i decide it's time to make a fume extractor and as always it should be made from reused parts.

After a lot of thinking i came with the idea of using a food container and an ATX power supply fan. I wanted this project to be simple, efficient, cheap and make it look cool as possible but the main goal of this build is efficiency/size.

I hope you find the video useful, it's my first one :D .

Step 1: Parts & Tools

Parts:

A small food container with locking handles
120 mm fan with its cage
12v power supply with at least 500mA
A piece of 5mm thick sponge, carbon filter would be better
Flat plastic
Power switch
bright red LED with 620 ohm resistor
Two 4 mm machine screws
Two nuts
Two wing-nuts
Four washer

Tools:

Fine tip marker and a ruler
Hot glue gun
Electrical tap
Sealing compound in my case PVC glue
Soldering iron with some solder
Pliers
Phillips screwdriver
Sandpaper
Jigsaw with steel cutting blade
Electric drill
4mm and 7 or 8 mm drill bits

Step 2: Preparing the Food Container

Unscrew the cage if it's screwed to the fan
Put it on the bottom of the container from the outside and use the marks to help center the fan location.
With a fine tip marker stat by marking the attachment screw than the fan hole, so if you move the cage you can position it again.
Draw the outlines of the power switch on the bottom, close to one of the corners.
Make a mark for the power cable on the opposite side of the power switch.
For the legs pivot, find the middle of the container's width.
Mark the legs pivot with a 5 mm away from the bottom.

Step 3: Making Holes

To prevent any unwanted cuts or injuries use only the utility knife tip

First off the fan hole, push the utility in the plastic and toward, follow the circle you made until the cuts meet.
Do the same for the power switch hole, but cut the inside of the marking, you don't want it to be larger than the switch.
Make a divot with the utility knife tip in every hole you will drill, to prevent any sliding of the drill bit.
Hold the container firmly and drill the two 4 mm holes on both sides of the container.
Use a block of wood to support the bottom of the container, than drill the remaining holes.

Step 4: Making the Legs

Print the template of the legs and glue them on the plastic you choose, make sue you let some space between the two legs for the jigsaw cutting holes.
Mark the jigsaw cutting holes on every edge of the legs drawing.
Drill all the cutting holes with the 7 mm drill bit, and deburr them with the utility knife or a bigger drill bit.
Now insert the jig saw in one of the holes and start cutting until you get to the next hole.
Repeat the cutting possess until you finish all the cutting, if the blade gets gummed up add some oil.
Raise the legs form the workbench with a block of wood and with the jigsaw round up the pivot edges, trim the sides.
Lay down a piece of sandpaper on the workbench and straighten the sides with it, than remove any remaining burr with a piece of sandpaper.
Mark the pivot hole with a fine tip marker, than drill it with a 4mm drill bit.
Put the first drilled leg on the other, mark the other hole and drill it.

diy fume extractor legs.pdf
Download

Step 5: Cutting the Filter and Filter Holder

Lay down the sponge on the workbench.
Put the container cover on top of it and hold it firmly.
Drag the utility knife following the container's cover shape.
Now, with the utility knife cut a big opening in the container's cover, be careful not to cut the cover in half.

Step 6: Wiring

Open the power supply and desolder the power cable and the 12v wire.
Grab the LED and the resistor, twist the cathode and one pin of the resistor together and solder them.
Cut two pieces of wire and solder each one to each pin of the LED and resistor than cove the solder with some electrical tap.
Solder back the two pieces of wire from the LED/resistor connection into the power supply's 12v holes.
Solder the fan with the two wire, make sure you don't revers the polarity an cover the solder with electrical tap.
Cut another two pieces of wire and solder them to each pin of the power switch.

Step 7: Assembly

Put in the legs screws and add a washer and a nut than tighten them up with pliers.
Trim the bend protection of the power cable so it fits in its hole than glue it in place with hot glue.
Insert the power switch in its place and hold it with hot glue, the glue will also seal any gaps.
Solder one wire of the power supply with one of the power cable.
Solder the remaining wires of the power switch and the power cable to the power supply.
Put on same sealing compound around the fan hole.
Put the fan in its place than carefully hold it unit you add the screw and you tighten them up.
Now before you hot glue the power supply in its place add some electrical tap on top of the screws head to prevent any short circuits.
Add a washer than a leg on each screw, tighten them up with the wingnuts.
Put the sponge on the container and hold it with the cover than lock it in pace with the handles.

Now the project is complete and its ready for the first power on.

I hope you enjoyed this instructable, if you have any question or suggestions feel free to put it in a comments.

Introduction: Diy Soldering Fume Extractor