Linksys WRT54G/GS/GL 80mm Fan Mod - Overclock.net

OC Me · 06-30-09

Hello everyone. This was my first hardware mod. I do realize that other such guides exist (dranom), but this tutorial is different in the fact that it uses a larger 80mm fan mounted to the outside of the case, while his uses a smaller 40mm fan mounted internally. Both are useful depending on what you're doing. For those who are interested, this is a WRT54GL that was purchased about a year and a half ago. It currently runs DD-WRT v.24 SP1. My main reasons for doing this mod were to bump the transmit power and overclock via DD-WRT. Read on for more details.

Materials You Will Need:

1. Linksys WRT54G/GS/GL Router (the newer all-black models won't work)

2. 80mm 12VDC PC Case Fan

3. Small Phillips-Head Screwdriver

4. Hot Glue Gun or Drill/Mounting Hardware

5. Scissors/Wire Clippers (not pictured)

6. Soldering Iron and Electrical Solder (not pictured)

7. Willingness to Void Your Warranty (if you haven't already)

Optional Materials:

1. Small Stick-On Heatsink

2. Fan Guard

Let's get started!

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Before you attempt to disassemble the router, unplug all cables and unscrew both antennas. Flip your router upside down. You will find a sticker warning about voiding the warranty. Obviously, you'll need to remove this to get to the innards of the router. Something to consider: if you've previously installed DD-WRT or another third-party firmware, you've already voided the warranty. Once that's done, grasp the blue part in one hand and the black part in the other and pull. The router's blue front should separate from the black shell cleanly, but may require a bit of force.

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This is what the router looks like sans the blue front cover and top shell. Note the big Broadcom chip in the middle (square-shaped.) I decided to attach an old northbridge stick-on heatsink to it. If you've got one lying around, it wouldn't hurt to put it to use. The heatsink will provide more surface area for the fan to blow air over, thus increasing its cooling efficiency.

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There are two screws that hold the circuit board to the plastic backplate. Unscrew both of them, and then slide the board out of the notches on the side to remove it. You should need very little force to separate the board from the backing once the screws are gone.

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The circuit board is removed from the backing. Be sure to keep track of those tiny screws.

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Flip the circuit board over. The two points that you solder to can be found under the DC-In jack. We'll get to that later. For now, the fan needs to be mounted to the top of the plastic shell.

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If your fan has a molex or other connector, you'll need to cut it off and strip back a little bit of insulation on the leads. Cut them as long as possible. You can easily tuck any extra wire out of the way if need be.

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If your fan wires are thin enough to fit through the holes in the plastic, thread them through. If not, you may need to do some drilling.

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You have a few choices as to how you want to mount the fan. Since I was too lazy to go find the drill, I decided that hot glue would have to suffice. As it turns out, the hot glue will probably be your best bet. It is easier to work with than the drill and screws, and will create an airtight seal between the housing and the fan. If done correctly, it will look quite professional.

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Note how I left the notch in the front of the plastic casing unglued. I highly recommend that you do this, because if you glue it you'll have a hard time popping the router open again.

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The wires should be soldered firmly and securely to the solder points. Make sure that your solder doesn't touch any of the surrounding solder points, or you could short out the router. The black wire gets soldered to the point closest to the edge, while the red wire gets soldered to the point right behind it. Ensure that your soldering is solid by gently tugging the wires.

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Now it's time for my least favorite step: putting it back together! You should be able to slide the top shell onto the bottom plate so that it fits snugly. Then, you can replace the screws.

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Now, all the router needs is the blue front cover and a test run. I tucked the fan wires under the circuit board as far as I could.

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The finished mod! I am honestly very impressed with the results. I thought the glue would end up looking ugly and cheap; instead, it is barely noticeable (even less from a distance.) Eventually I'll have to invest in a fan guard for the safety of the family cat.

In the end, I'm happy to have made an awesome router even better with only a few spare PC parts. Please share any questions/comments. Time to put this new cooling system to use!

samstaee · 06-30-09

nice work.
might need to do this to my wireless router :P

Onnet7 · 07-01-09

Not bad.

SmasherBasher · 07-02-09

Now figure out a way to put one inside so a passing cat/child doesn't get curious and end up hurt

OC Me · 07-02-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmasherBasher

Now figure out a way to put one inside so a passing cat/child doesn't get curious and end up hurt

I thought about that; unfortunately, the fan is too thick to fit in the casing. Later on I might experiment with having a smaller fan mounted directly on the chip's heatsink. For now, though, I'm happy with the results.

SmasherBasher · 07-03-09

Ever consider sticking a hard drive cooler there?

OC Me · 07-04-09

Okay, I said I would overclock and bump up the TX. Well, here are the details. I've boosted my TX power from 70 to 85, and overclocked from 200 to 250 mhz (the max overclock setting.) I've not encountered any crashes/signal loss/other problems. The router has been running rock solid as usual.

sinnerg · 07-23-09

I've had a wrt54gl for over a year now, running dd-wrt. Currently on 233MHz overclock, but thought I'd try upping to 250. Looked up some active cooling mods for it. Some have internal fans either on the cpu or attached to the top cover, others have the easier 80cm fan mod as done here.

Just curious about one thing though for the fans attached to the case. Are they blowing air into the enclosure or sucking air out of the enclosure? There is another diy online somewhere where they use a smaller 40mm attached to the inside of the case, but it blows air out.

From the pics above it looks like the fan is setup to blow air into the router.

Cold air should be coming in from the bottom vents, convection feeds heat off the top, wouldn't sucking the air out be better?

OC Me · 07-24-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinnerg

I've had a wrt54gl for over a year now, running dd-wrt. Currently on 233MHz overclock, but thought I'd try upping to 250. Looked up some active cooling mods for it. Some have internal fans either on the cpu or attached to the top cover, others have the easier 80cm fan mod as done here.

Just curious about one thing though for the fans attached to the case. Are they blowing air into the enclosure or sucking air out of the enclosure? There is another diy online somewhere where they use a smaller 40mm attached to the inside of the case, but it blows air out.

From the pics above it looks like the fan is setup to blow air into the router.

Cold air should be coming in from the bottom vents, convection feeds heat off the top, wouldn't sucking the air out be better?

You're right, and it probably would. The problem lies with the fan. I can't mount it upside down because the fan hub grinds against the router. Needless to say, I'm sure there are plenty of fans that don't do this. Keep in mind that a larger 80mm fan will cool more than just the Broadcom chip, while a smaller 40mm fan won't do that to a great degree.

Lord Xeb · 09-24-09

I did the same thing to mine but it is not nearly as neat.... but I put video card RAM sinks onto the chips (2 on the broadcom and 1 on the other 2 chips). <.< Better cooling.

Then the bottom of it I nibbled a home in the bottom vent to allow air to get out and pass through (it is not big but it works well).

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Linksys WRT54G/GS/GL 80mm Fan Mod

07-23-09	#8 (permalink)
sinnerg New to Overclock.net Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1 Rep: 0 Unique Rep: 0 Trader Rating: 0	I've had a wrt54gl for over a year now, running dd-wrt. Currently on 233MHz overclock, but thought I'd try upping to 250. Looked up some active cooling mods for it. Some have internal fans either on the cpu or attached to the top cover, others have the easier 80cm fan mod as done here. Just curious about one thing though for the fans attached to the case. Are they blowing air into the enclosure or sucking air out of the enclosure? There is another diy online somewhere where they use a smaller 40mm attached to the inside of the case, but it blows air out. From the pics above it looks like the fan is setup to blow air into the router. Cold air should be coming in from the bottom vents, convection feeds heat off the top, wouldn't sucking the air out be better?

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