DIY Aluminium Laptop Stand

Today we'll be making an aluminium laptop stand which is cheap, durable, cool and fun to build. This is my first instructable.

TOOLS:

- Wire cutter

- Hot glue gun

- Soldering iron

- Metal forming rasp or industrial metal grinder

- Metal forming press

SUPPLIES:

- desktop cooling fans x2

- copper/tin wire

- an aluminium panel suitable for your laptop size

- metal ON/OFF switch

- universal AC/DC adapter

- a piece of fabric/cloth measured to fit the panel

- plastic stick

NOTE: This is my first instructable so please bear with me :)

I made my laptop cooling pad after having measured the dimensions for my laptop. With the current setup, it supports all laptops ranged 10-17 inches. The fans are rotating simultaneously and without any complications. The photos were taken after 3-4 months of active use. I used a symbolic image of a AC/DC adapter which can be with either EU or US power line.

This tutorial is for educational purposes only. I am NOT in any way responsible for any kind of damage to you, your hardware or tools, improper usage of tools or any other consequence you or your hardware might come accross.

STEP 1: Deforming metal

After cutting your aluminium plate as measured, shape it as a letter L (some people even use the Z shape for a better grip) in order for your laptop not to fall down from the cooling stand. Measure carefully prior to deforming and/or cutting, because once you deform or cut it, you won't be able to undo.

STEP 2: Adding holes

Measure the fans and make properly sized holes for both of them. Also, make a hole for the metal switch we will insert afterwards.

STEP 3: Wiring

Strip the AC/DC adapter of all the unnecessary parts, just leave the body along with the + and - wires. You will need to solder more wires in order to support powering of both the fans and the switch: it's fairly easy, just put the + on + (plus on plus) and - on - (minus on minus) currents. After wiring it up, the switch is fitted on the rear end of the cooling pad, or you can choose any side that suits your needs. If you are not comfortable around soldering, you may use a hot glue gun to fit all the things in place. Test it to see if the cooling pad actually works.

If it does, keep up with the next step.

If it does not, test the wiring/soldering and correctly repeat the procedure, if needed.

STEP 4: Finishing touches

You may want to tilt your cooling pad even more, depending on your needs. This can easily be done by bending the aluminium, but be careful because it can snap or skew when dealing with punctured metal (remember you made the two holes for the fans and a third hole for the switch).

To prevent your hands from sweating and your laptop from any further heating, I have added a small cover in canvas (fabric) to help the whole thing get a better grip. Choose any fabric that suits you best. Measure your canvas, cut out the place for the fan holes, and spread the glue from the hot glue gun on the surface. Use any spreading way to your preference: you may use the X spreading pattern, square pattern or any other, just bear in mind to keep the canvas fixed to the surface. The hot glue is hot and it dries out pretty quickly, so there is hardly any room for an error.

STEP 5: Gripping

In order to provide a better grip and to prevent cutting my hands on the metal parts, I have treated the edges with a rasp/grinder and added some decorative plastic sticks that turned out to be quite functional ways for getting a better grip in order for your laptop not to fall off the cooling pad.

Have fun and let me know how it turned out for you :)