Mesh Laptop Stand With Usb Fans
This is a neat mesh laptop stand with usb fans. I combined some of my ideas with the following instructable
https://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Metallic-Laptop-Stand/
The stand is constructed with the method mentioned in the previous tutorial.
Tools and supplies:
1) Staples mesh document holder ($8, Staples)
2) Seal-All contact adhesive ($3, Ace Hardware)
3) Two Antec LED 120mm PC fans ($5 each on sale, Fry's)
5) ANY usb cable that you don't need as long as it has the connector intact ($0-$5)
4) Soldering iron and soldering accessories
https://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Metallic-Laptop-Stand/
The stand is constructed with the method mentioned in the previous tutorial.
Tools and supplies:
1) Staples mesh document holder ($8, Staples)
2) Seal-All contact adhesive ($3, Ace Hardware)
3) Two Antec LED 120mm PC fans ($5 each on sale, Fry's)
5) ANY usb cable that you don't need as long as it has the connector intact ($0-$5)
4) Soldering iron and soldering accessories
Prepare the Document Holder
This is straight forward.
The staples document holder looks like a "Z" from the side. There are two long sides and one shorter side. Bend the two longest sides such that they overlap each other.
Pretty much it will just look like a "7" after you do this. There will be one long side (the two long sides collapsed into one) and the original short side.
The holder also comes with two hemisphere-like magnets that were originally used to hold the document in place. We will use these as stoppers to position your laptop.
I glued the two magnets on the edge of the document holder with Seal-All contact adhesive. Put a layer of glue on the holder and on the bottom of the magnets. Leave them to separately set for 10 minutes then put them together with sufficient pressure.
These will keep your laptop from sliding down.
The staples document holder looks like a "Z" from the side. There are two long sides and one shorter side. Bend the two longest sides such that they overlap each other.
Pretty much it will just look like a "7" after you do this. There will be one long side (the two long sides collapsed into one) and the original short side.
The holder also comes with two hemisphere-like magnets that were originally used to hold the document in place. We will use these as stoppers to position your laptop.
I glued the two magnets on the edge of the document holder with Seal-All contact adhesive. Put a layer of glue on the holder and on the bottom of the magnets. Leave them to separately set for 10 minutes then put them together with sufficient pressure.
These will keep your laptop from sliding down.
Prepare and Mount the Fans
The fans come with 4 screws each. The key is to place the fans on the bottom of the mesh holder with the mounting holes right underneath the mesh. I used a little scissor and cut enough of the mesh to screw in the fans. The screws are from the top of the mesh and are screwed down to the fan.
Note. My fans have an Antec sticker on one side. Supposedly the sticker side will suck in air and blow air out on the side without stickers. My stickers are facing the laptop. I actually saw temperature differences, and this is the best format.
Now the fans come with a standard 4-pin PC power plug/jack. This connector is both female and male so you can chain multiple fans together. Each fan will come with one of these. Here is my setup:
Male fan 2 / Female fan 2 <==plug in=== male from fan 1 / female fan 1 <-------solder from this end
Now at female fan 1, you will see a black and red wire, and four metal terminals sticking out. The red wire will be aligned with one terminal and black with another terminal. The other two are not used.
I cut some of the plastic to reveal the terminals fully.
Cut the USB wire and expose some of the wires inside. Strip a little of the red and black wires.
Solder the RED WIRE from the USB cable to the terminal associated with the RED WIRE. Same with black.
That's it. We're done. Plug in the USB cable to your computer to test whether the fans turn on. The power will go from the USB to the solder points to the fan 1 then fan 2.
Note. My fans have an Antec sticker on one side. Supposedly the sticker side will suck in air and blow air out on the side without stickers. My stickers are facing the laptop. I actually saw temperature differences, and this is the best format.
Now the fans come with a standard 4-pin PC power plug/jack. This connector is both female and male so you can chain multiple fans together. Each fan will come with one of these. Here is my setup:
Male fan 2 / Female fan 2 <==plug in=== male from fan 1 / female fan 1 <-------solder from this end
Now at female fan 1, you will see a black and red wire, and four metal terminals sticking out. The red wire will be aligned with one terminal and black with another terminal. The other two are not used.
I cut some of the plastic to reveal the terminals fully.
Cut the USB wire and expose some of the wires inside. Strip a little of the red and black wires.
Solder the RED WIRE from the USB cable to the terminal associated with the RED WIRE. Same with black.
That's it. We're done. Plug in the USB cable to your computer to test whether the fans turn on. The power will go from the USB to the solder points to the fan 1 then fan 2.
Clean Up and Enjoy
I used metal ties to bundle up all the wires neatly.
Enjoy the laptop stand!
This has superior cooling capabilities. I used a software that measured cpu temperature, and this stand is 20 degrees cooler than leaving it on the table at 100% cpu usage. Also, this is 10 degrees cooler than my other $20 Antec laptop cooler.
Enjoy the laptop stand!
This has superior cooling capabilities. I used a software that measured cpu temperature, and this stand is 20 degrees cooler than leaving it on the table at 100% cpu usage. Also, this is 10 degrees cooler than my other $20 Antec laptop cooler.