So I was tired of my modem getting a little on the warm side. The outside of the case was pretty warm to the touch, and the heatsink on the chip inside was too hot to touch. So I modded the case, and added a fan on the top...blowing air inside, and venting it out side holes that I drilled out. This idea was inspired by the Actively Cooled Modem/Router Club thread.
The fan is a little noisy sitting on my desk...but once I finish up my mDC, it will be out there and the noise won't matter.
Thomson Cable Modem Photo Log (Click to show)
Case re-assembled, front view. Done!
Video of the completed modem, showing it still powers on, fan spins, and lights are working. Obviously it is working right now, or I wouldn't have been able to upload this video.
Been running for about 1.5 hours, and is running strong. Very cool to the touch!!! Let me know what you think guys.
EDIT:
I managed to break one of the fins, but I added a new 80mm fan which is quieter, and more powerful. Check it out.
Let me know what you think!
Edited by tycoonbob - 7/16/12 at 4:39pm
The fan is a little noisy sitting on my desk...but once I finish up my mDC, it will be out there and the noise won't matter.
Thomson Cable Modem Photo Log (Click to show)
The modem. You can see the "warranty is void if removed" sticker, as I was able to remove it in one piece...to put it back when I'm done.
The fan laying on top.
The inside. The large gray square is a heatsink, with the chip under it. This is what the fan will blow on.
inside, from another angle.
Fan has been mounted. Scrap plastic behind it.
Fan mounted, with the underneath cut out. Cable running through the hole, so it will be out of sight.
Underneath shot...fan mounted, hole cut out. Did all the cutting with nothing more than a drill bit, bahaha. I also cut 7 holes on each side of the case, for exhaust. The stock holes were tiny, and I figured the air pressure would be too high with this little powerful fan...so I made some of the larger.
Power leads soldered underneath, on the DC jack.
The PCB board, showing the fan power wires coming from underneath.
PCB board placed back in the bottom part of the case, showing wires coming from the side...front view.
PCB board placed back in the bottom part of the case, showing wires coming from the side...back view.
Case re-assembled, upside down view of the right side. 7 holes were drilled to allow for better airflow out of the case, since the fan is blowing air into the case.
Case re-assembled, upside down view of the left side. 7 holes were drilled to allow for better airflow out of the case, since the fan is blowing air into the case.
The fan laying on top.
The inside. The large gray square is a heatsink, with the chip under it. This is what the fan will blow on.
inside, from another angle.
Fan has been mounted. Scrap plastic behind it.
Fan mounted, with the underneath cut out. Cable running through the hole, so it will be out of sight.
Underneath shot...fan mounted, hole cut out. Did all the cutting with nothing more than a drill bit, bahaha. I also cut 7 holes on each side of the case, for exhaust. The stock holes were tiny, and I figured the air pressure would be too high with this little powerful fan...so I made some of the larger.
Power leads soldered underneath, on the DC jack.
The PCB board, showing the fan power wires coming from underneath.
PCB board placed back in the bottom part of the case, showing wires coming from the side...front view.
PCB board placed back in the bottom part of the case, showing wires coming from the side...back view.
Case re-assembled, upside down view of the right side. 7 holes were drilled to allow for better airflow out of the case, since the fan is blowing air into the case.
Case re-assembled, upside down view of the left side. 7 holes were drilled to allow for better airflow out of the case, since the fan is blowing air into the case.
Case re-assembled, front view. Done!
Video of the completed modem, showing it still powers on, fan spins, and lights are working. Obviously it is working right now, or I wouldn't have been able to upload this video.
Been running for about 1.5 hours, and is running strong. Very cool to the touch!!! Let me know what you think guys.
EDIT:
I managed to break one of the fins, but I added a new 80mm fan which is quieter, and more powerful. Check it out.
Let me know what you think!
Edited by tycoonbob - 7/16/12 at 4:39pm
Main PC
(17 items) |
VMHOST01
(9 items) |
| CPU | Motherboard | Graphics | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD FX-8120 | GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 | PowerColor Go! Green AX5450 512MK3-SHV6 Radeon ... | Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 32GB (4 x 8GB) |
| Hard Drive | Cooling | OS | Power |
| Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 60GB | Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan | Windows Server 2008R2 | Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W |
| Case | |||
| Rosewill RSV-L4000 | |||
| View all | |||
|
Main PC
(17 items) |
VMHOST01
(9 items) |
| CPU | Motherboard | Graphics | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD FX-8120 | GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 | PowerColor Go! Green AX5450 512MK3-SHV6 Radeon ... | Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 32GB (4 x 8GB) |
| Hard Drive | Cooling | OS | Power |
| Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 60GB | Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan | Windows Server 2008R2 | Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W |
| Case | |||
| Rosewill RSV-L4000 | |||
| View all | |||
