Keep Your PC/Xbox/PS3/AppleTV From Overheating in a Closed Cabinet
Posted 10/14/08 at 12:00:00 PM | by Will Smith
We love to have tons of cool electronics hooked up to the big living room TV -- who doesn’t? But, if you’re like us, your significant other is less keen on seeing all that awesome black plastic and shiny metal, and you probably did the same thing we did: Went out and bought an overpriced, crappy piece of mass-produced furniture that has doors. Doors! And what do those doors do? They create hot pockets of electronics-killing heat that will shorten the life of our precious gear. All to keep the wife happy.
Fear not, heat haters. We put the Maximum PC brain trust to work in assembling a quick, quiet, and easy cooling solution for, well, just about any cabinet you’re willing to cut a hole in. We tested our solution with two of the hottest pieces of hardware we could find: an Xbox 360 and an AppleTV. With both boxed turned on, and with the door closed, the internal temperature of the cabinet quickly hit 130F. But after we mounted our heat-triggered fan, we saw the internal temperatures hovering a scant degree or two above room temperature. Want to find out how we did it? Read on!
What You'll Need |
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Collecting the right gear for your cabinet cooler is crucial to the success of this project. After all, you want to add a near-silent fan – it must move enough air to keep your precious electronic components cool, all without making noise that will annoy anyone sitting in your living room. For these reasons, we chose a low RPM fan that is thermally controlled. When the fan reaches about 75F, it flips on, and maxes out at about 800rpm as the temperature rises.
We were able to find a suitable fan in a kit with an AC-to-DC adapter for about $20, but, really, any low-speed, 12cm fan will do. We recommend choosing a fan that spins at less than 1000rpm to minimize noise. In addition to the fan and the AC/DC inverter, you’ll need appropriate depth #10 self starting screws, which you can get at your favorite neighborhood hardware store, as well as the screws that come with the fan to mount the grille.
Step 1: Clean Up the Mess
Phase one of our operation consisted of cleaning out our entire cabinet and exploring a few different options for the blowhole’s placement. After consulting the Internet and refreshing ourselves on basic rules of physics -- heat rises, who knew! -- we decided to place the blowhole on the back wall of the cabinet at the top of the enclosure.
After a little experimentation, we realized that separating the actual components from their respective power bricks and supporting gear let us move the hotter components to the top shelf of our cabinet. Keeping the hot gear on top reduces the temperature for other gear and keeps the whole cabinet looking neater. Before we did anything else, we went ahead and ran our cables to make sure that everything would reach before we started cutting, and so we could test the “before” temperature accurately. We didn’t yet dust inside our (admittedly filthy) cabinet, as it was going to get a whole lot messier when we busted out the hole saw.
Step 2: Cutting the Hole
If you’ve never used a hole saw before, it’s a little tricky. Generally, the wood that most entertainment centers are made from is pretty thin, so you don’t need to do anything complex, like drill sawdust channels. That said, we do recommend holding a large wooden block at the exit point for the hole; this will help prevent unsightly splintering; however, since we were drilling through to the back of our cabinet, which goes against the wall, we weren't particularly concerend if we marred the finish a bit. Alternately, you can start the hole from one side, then switch to the other side. When using the hole saw, use a relatively low speed, and pull it back regularly to remove sawdust buildup. This will prevent the blade from binding.
Next, you’ll need to drill four holes which you’ll use to mount the fan to your cabinet. We used the fan’s grille as a template, but you can also make a template with a piece of paper, some tape, and a pencil. Tape the template to the back of your cabinet and mark the four holes. We used a 1/4-inch bit to drill the four holes. Try to align the drill perfectly perpendicularly with the wood, otherwise your holes will be crooked and you’ll have a hard time getting the screws aligned with the fan.
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Adding a fan without damaging the furniture
Submitted by CriticalImpact on Mon, 2008-12-22 14:05
I just read the article, and everything looks great and useful. The problem? I just purchased a $1200 entertainment center, and would prefer not to ruin it.
Currently, I have a 3 shelf/6 cube unit. Each "cube" holds a different device, including a PS3, 360 and DVR. I have to leave the door open all the time right now, and things still get very hot. Anyone have a suggestion on how to accomplish cooling and not destroy the furniture at the same time?
Submitted by tknecht217 on Thu, 2008-12-04 14:24
Firefighters use Positive Pressure Ventilation to clear heat and smoke (a volume of gas) from buildings; they often use a single gasoline powered fan to clear homes, sometimes large, multi-story spaces. Why use an exhaust system, when you could "push" cooler air into the cabinet space, and have the air in the space not only go out a small(er) vent hole, but also the various vents/cracks in the cabinet? Is there an absolute advantage to the setup in the article? I had planned to use a PPV system in my cabinet, instead of an exhaust system, but now I am wondering which would be best?
Submitted by Scizo on Wed, 2008-11-12 23:20
I'm looking for a way to vent my new 80GB PS3 which is enclosed in the top
cabinet of a pier behind doors as well as my amp and other components
in the base of my TV stand. The PS3 seems to run very hot and with the
doors open and an ambient room temp of around 70F the temp inside the
cabinet with the PS3 was quickly up to 97F I know something needs to be done about this.I have 3 Yate Loon D12SL-12 120mm case fans and 2 ~5v wall warts. I
planned on using on wall wart wired to a fan for the PS3 cabinet and
then one for each shelf of the TV stand since the air between the 2
shelves seems completely blocked off. I priced 4.5" hole saws but they
seem to go for around $35 plus the price of the mandrel which is really
more than I want to spend on a saw I will probably never use again. Any
have any suggestions on how else to make a fairly neat and round hole
that won't destroy my new entertainment center?For the 2 fans for the TV Stand I planned on piggy backing the molex
connectors and running it off the 5V wall wart but am concerned it wont
be enough voltage to power both fans adequately. The other option was
to get a fan controller, but the fan for the PS3 in the pier is a far
distance from the TV stand and I am unsure how to get that fan wired to
the controller if I mount it in the TV stand.If I got a Regulated 1000mA AC Adapter how could I wire all three together. The fans only need .30ma each so I should have enough power, but I would have the problem with wiring the one fan in the cabinet to the other 2 piggybacked fans a few feet away. Any suggestions??
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for the help!
Submitted by Scizo on Wed, 2008-11-12 23:19
Sorry..Duplicate Post
Bigger, Quieter, Cleaner install (template included!)
Submitted by CAsasquatch on Fri, 2008-10-24 22:14
I did this mod to my wife's office desk two years ago:
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=25cmfancooleddeskqp4.jpg
I bought a case with a reversible 250mm side fan, used the case side panel as the template, and connected it to the computer inside the desk with a long external molex wire run from a PCI slot power takeoff. Make sure to reverse the standard airflow with the switch (right at the 12 o'clock position). The AMD X2 4200+ stays cool as a cucumber now (before the mod the entire case was hot to the touch), and there is no noise to speak of (*but then again 30 years of drumming has damaged my hearing somewhat - I hope Will uses good earplugs).
Submitted by Scintor on Thu, 2008-10-23 11:00
Your cabinet cooling solution is probably more efficient than mine, but I'm pretty sure mine is cheaper! I added a USB connector to the power lines of a discarded chassis fan and propped up the fan on the top shelf at the rear of my cabinet and then plugged it into the USB port of my PS3. The fan is a 12v fan running on the PS3's 5v, so by default the fan runs way below design speed which results in super quiet operation. It is positioned so that it blows hot air out of the the top rear of the cabinet toward the front doors that I keep slightly opened. The fan only turns on when the PS3 is turned on, and since the PS3 is the primary heat generator in this cabinet, it is properly applied (IMHO). There was zero cost for this solution as the USB connector and fan were gathered from the junque drawer.
Submitted by std error on Fri, 2008-10-17 17:47
I read this article and decided to go ahead and do it. An hour later I turn on my PS3 and find that it died from overheating (folded a WU two days ago).
Anyway my question is if I have a fan that is set to go off at 75 degrees and my room temperature is about 80 (Las Vegas weather) does that mean the fan will always be running?
Submitted by mikeart03a on Thu, 2008-10-16 21:50
Very useful how-to here. If you want more than one fan without the additional inverters, if you can get your hands on an old hardwired switch/push button activated PSU (386-P1 days) you can use the molex connectors on them to power additional fans in your entertainment center.
Also, if you're handy enough, you could probably build a small box to house a fan controller as well.
- mike_art03a
IT Technician
Gov't of Canada
You can also use the
Submitted by willsmith on Fri, 2008-10-17 08:43
You can also use the traditional Molex splitters. One inverter should power all the fans you can possibly use.
they didn't fit the fan
Submitted by johnny3144 on Thu, 2008-10-16 20:23
they didn't fit the fan into the wood panel.
they made a round hole so the fan can blow through it, and slapped the fan on top of panel. then they take screws and screw it onto the panel.
square fan in round hole?
Submitted by ifdefmoose on Wed, 2008-10-15 14:29
Sorry if the answer is obvious, but how did you get a square fan into a round hole? The fan that you linked to, and the one shown in the photos, looks like it is in a square black plastic housing. Does the housing come apart, so that one half mounts in front, and the other half mounts in back of the cabinet (without losing the fan bearings all over the floor)?
Thanks.
looks like someone found
Submitted by yogurt80 on Tue, 2008-10-14 23:48
looks like someone found their missing, new-in-box sticks in the back of that cabinet. How long had those been gone?
Submitted by willsmith on Wed, 2008-10-15 14:07
They're actually the emergency backup sticks. I keep waiting for my wife to break one while she's playing (she's the drummer, I'm just guitar/vocals), but it hasn't happened yet.
Submitted by winmaster on Tue, 2008-10-14 17:55
Great Idea! I just have two things to say.
1.What the hell is the editor-in-cheif of Maximum PC doing with an Apple TV?
2.Be careful with that Wii. They get hotter than you think. Mine recently overheated, causing damage to the GPU. Even more shocking, I don't even have it in an enclosed space and it was in standby mode when it overheated!
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The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Submitted by willsmith on Wed, 2008-10-15 14:04
I bought one to test out their HD download service back in the days before you could play HD movies from iTunes on your PC. It's a kind of weird, interesting box. I'm not a fan of buying content that's encumbered by DRM, but I have no real opposition to DRM for rental content. My wife rents a fair number of movies from them and occasionally uses it to catch up on TV shows she misses (or at least she did pre-Hulu).
If I wasn't a football fan, I'd probably turn off my cable TV and use a combination of Hulu, iTunes, and Netflix to get all my content. It's still really hard to get sports on the Internet, especially in HD.
Submitted by billysundays on Tue, 2008-10-14 11:54
With the cabinet door closed, where would the fan be pulling in air from?
Also, couldn't you find a suitable grommet for a finishing touch?
Submitted by willsmith on Tue, 2008-10-14 13:52
I am, without a doubt, not a master woodworker. What is this grommet of which you speak?
As for the air, there's enough gap around the door as well as a cable feed hole in the bottom that it pulls plenty of air in.
Submitted by billysundays on Tue, 2008-10-14 15:29
I'm sorry, I should've been specific.
A grommet is that rubber ring that fits into the edge of a "feed hole" ; ). I've purchased them at cableorganizer.com. Many are cut-to-size, and are usually used in desks with openings on the top or sides used for routing monitor or phone cords into the desk.
By the way, I loved this how-to, great job (I should've probably started with that). I've been wanting to do just this for the longest.
Any idea when we might be seeing your review of the Astro gaming headset?
Submitted by willsmith on Wed, 2008-10-15 14:06
It's been sitting, half-written for at least a month. I pulled duty on the review because I'm the only one who really plays console games here, but I've totally dropped the ball on it. I'll finish it up next week and get it posted.
Submitted by billysundays on Wed, 2008-10-15 18:19
That's great to hear. I've been holding off buying a new headset until I've read your review (my old Plantronics died). Its been a decision between the Astros or the Plantronics GameCom 777.
The reviews I've been reading online for the Astro's have been unclear. Some state they're open-ear designed, some say closed-ear. A few reviews seem to imply that the headsets are of the multi-speaker variety, without ever explicitly saying it, while others imply that the surround sound effect is purely simulated.
Anyway, I hope you'll find any of this relevant for your review. Thanks, Will.
Submitted by Stockislander on Tue, 2008-10-14 11:00
Hey, thanks for the link to the woodworking tips site!
Submitted by hammerfell on Tue, 2008-10-14 07:26
very good article. Now we just need one that does this with water cooling ^_^
Plus you could have this little LED glow emmitting from all the little cracks and doors of your entertainment center when the lights are of. (which would be AWESOME)
okay question.... where did you put the 360 and the apple tv?? did i miss something ??
oh and also if you put them at the top wouldn't it make sense to put them at the bottom?? (since heat rises your creating more airflow.)
Submitted by willsmith on Tue, 2008-10-14 13:50
I only took photos of the 360/Wii side of my entertainment center, since it was lit better. The other side has my amplifier, an Apple TV, and a small PC, along with the same kind of fan hookup.
Submitted by Saltboy on Tue, 2008-10-14 07:24
I like the article, but I think it would be best to have 2 fans. One on the lower shelf or lower area of the space to bring in fresh "cool" air, and one on the top shelf, or upper area to vent the "hot" air out.
Submitted by willsmith on Tue, 2008-10-14 13:49
The inflow fan shouldn't really be necessary, unless your entertainment center has an airtight door. There's a more than sufficient gap around the door edge in my cabinet that the fan can pull enough fresh air in to keep whatever I run in there humming along at room temperature. The bottom fan would just be overkill (at least for my setup).
Of course, you could always start with the top exhaust fan, then add the bottom fan if it's necessary.
Submitted by Saltboy on Wed, 2008-10-15 05:30
That makes sense. I have seen some cabinets that seem to almost seal, which is strange. I forgot about the cabling whole. Thanks for the reply!
I would never
Submitted by maniacm0nk3y on Tue, 2008-10-14 07:03
I am lucky for how much space I have and what type of furniture I am able to use. It allows for excellent airflow with no worry for overheating. If it was a closed space like a DVD cabinet or something, I would NEVER put it in there. Expecially with an Xbox 360.
Submitted by willsmith on Tue, 2008-10-14 13:45
After putting the fan in, I'm able to run the 360 in that closed environment without it ever getting warm. Before it would have been hot to the touch.
Submitted by r3dd4wg on Tue, 2008-10-14 06:38
Just one question, though. Can you adjust the temperature the fan turns on or is it fixed at 75-degrees?
Thanks.
Submitted by willsmith on Tue, 2008-10-14 13:44
The fan I bought spins up at somewhere between 75 and 80 degrees. You can probably shop around and find them that start at different temperatures, but afaik there aren't any fans that allow you to adjust the temps.
Submitted by samduhman on Tue, 2008-10-14 05:15
I have this exact problem with my PS3. We have to keep the door open when playing Blue Ray movies or gaming or it gets hot and the internal fan spins up sounding loud as hell.
I'll definately be doing this.
Thanks!
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