Modding My Cooler Master NotePal U3 PLUS

Dont use screws, silicone things make the diference

 

Oh. I need to get those then. Thanks

 

Sorry for the late response, been away...
If you mean how did I get power supply to NA, I have soldered the adapter wires to NA provided wires.
Test first 4 polarity, then solder.
The connector was made as to be connected to the motherboard so if you are making power adapter the power source, cut the wires and solder to adapter.

I must stress again that the contraption I have made works fantastic!

 

Thanks for the tip - I had found something which looks like a 5.5*2.1 female to 4-pin male in the meantime (it was cheap enough to say, why not). I don´t have a solderer so will see if it doesn´t work - I have non-conducting tape however for a poor man´s fix.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-4pin-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


Regarding fan setup, my laptop has 2 intake fans (seem to be 60mm) and also ventilation holes for the motherboard (it´s a Clevo 775 chassis). Is it worth to have two fans blowing into the intakes and part of the motherboard, and a third in the middle blowing out (to create airflow within the case) or all three should be blowing in? There seems to be enough empty space within the case so in theory seems possible.

 

If I only want to use two fans for now which 2 would you guys recommend. I'd like an increase in airflow over the standard 3 but would prefer not to have a jet engine.

Are these parts all thats needed outside of the fans themselves and will they all work?

Fan Controller - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R3SV...olid=225IGYQG9L1HY&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Power - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000MGG...olid=225IGYQG9L1HY&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Fan Mounts (example) - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32-PCS-R...221965&hash=item1cd345d843:g:Qa4AAOSw1g1dBVkh
Dust Filter (example) - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5PC-120m...541539?hash=item1a79519d63:g:5-kAAOSwg0pZY0~k

Appreciate the help.

 

I made my own recently for something similar to yours (Clevo p775 TM1, 9900 and rtx 2080).

I don´t know about that controller, but as long as it has a Molex input, it should work with the PSU. I think however that some people in this thread had issues with that one not giving equal voltage to each fan so ymmw. I am using the NA-AV1 as I did not want LEDs around since I find them annoying, a 4-pin PWM to DC converter, and an old 12V power supply for an external hard drive. Check the total requirements for amperage/volts of what you are installing (fans+controller) and you should be fine if the PSU can supply that.

Get 12-14 cm ones for that laptop; the CPU will benefit much more than the GPU. If you have a Thunderbolt spot free you could consider also their 5V fans, if noise is an issue. They put less airflow than the 12V ones but that is due to the max speed being 1500 rpm, and at 46 CFM it´s still respectable - an USB port (0.8 A) won´t have enough current but a Thunderbolt I believe does (3A at 5V, each of those is 0.33 A), although that will come from the laptop psu but if you have the A51m that is not an issue (is that the one with two 180+330 W power bricks?).

For reference, I have 3 Noctua IppC 3000 rpm 12V and they work wonders - but they are a bit too loud so the 2000 rpm would do fine. I have mine at 3/4 of max speed. If I put them at max speed they are roughly as loud as the laptop; at 3/4 (2200 rpmish) I do not notice much of a difference if I am wearing headsets when the laptop fans are going at it. The noise is be more depending on the fan speed, rather than the number of them, due to how decibels work; 2 3000 rpm fans at 42 db will make more noise (45 dB) than 3 fans at 2000 rpm at 33 dB (around 38ish) and if my Clevo is anything to go by, the A51m will probably make more noise than that as well.

For the mounts, I am using the noctua AV4 which have worked great as there is no rattling (I went with everything with the same company to make sure I had no issues with mixing components)

 

Thanks for this informative response, I really appreciate it. In terms of the amps and voltage I'm lost, is this not as simple aa plug and play then?

Do you have a link to your controller? I'd prefer no LEDs, I searched Amazon and eBay but nothing other than camera stuff coming up.

Yeah, my configuration has 180w and 330w bricks.

In terms of mounts and dust filters they were just the first one I found in a search but wanted to make sure the part list covered everything other than fans.

What type of fans are recommended? Is it high static pressure and PWM?

 

You will need PWM fans, as that is what allows you to control them. I will go into pressure later. (Wall of text incoming, I do not know how to make this smaller)

Voltage and amps: they are two different things but once you pick them they are plug and play, it´s just the selection which has a bit of complexity.

Voltage:
The type of current you need. Most fans are either 5 V (generally USB-powered) or 12 V (generally mains-powered). Trying to mix different voltage components without a transformer never ends well, so avoid that. Your transformer would be the power supply. For a 5V fan, the USB port/motherboard does that, for 12V most mains plugs do that for you.

Amperage:

• How much current you need, i.e, power. This is directly correlated to the number of fans and rotation speed/static pressure, and to voltage: a high voltage source needs less current (Amp) to produce the same power (W).
• Always limit the total current and wattage in the circuit to whatever your power supply is giving/1.5 (probably not necessary, but gives some leeway for mistakes), and match voltage between all components. All trustworthy computer parts will say what volts/amps/watts you need for the component.
• In the case of your A51m (although if you are using an USB powered fan, check with Dell or the user manual as this is generic info):
  • USB 3.1 port: I believe those are 0.9A, 1.5A for charger ports (note it can go higher, but those are specialised and will be labelled as such), at 5V
  • USB-C: Baseline is 3.0 A (again, some can go higher), at 5V

• For 12V power sources, they generally say the current they can provide directly.
  

Fans:
This is up to your compromise between noise/cooling performance.

• The ones I use (Noctua 120mm IPPC PWM 12V, 3000rpm) give around 180m3/min and 8mm static pressure at 3000 rpm per fan, but at max speed they are loud - something to consider when you are with people in the room.
  • That said, the A51m seems to go at 51 dB, so worst case (3 of those) you have 51 dB+43.5dB+43.5dB+43.5dB, which equals 53 dB (it´s not linear), which equals theoretically around 20-25% more noise.
  • I have mine at 3/4 of max and I see a good 5-6 degree drop on average, and a 10-15 drop on the peak temperature; things like NVMEs also benefit. They take 0.3A at 12V - 3.6W total.
• A 5V 120mm fan from the same company will go at 1500 rpm max and give 93 m3/min and 2.3 mm pressure, for 0.15 A at 5V (0.75W total) - theoretically you can power 3 from an USB port (0.45A at 5V), but if your laptop has a decent cooling system you might not feel much difference with these.
  • However, this means you don´t need a separate power input (which might be relevant for you).
• If you are going to use a fan controller, I would say go for the highest speed you can afford and play with the settings. I used three so I need 0.9 A at 12V - 10.8 W total

You can also play around with fan sizes to match your ventilation grills. Seeing the A51m, I think you might benefit from having 3 120mm/80mm or 2 140mm fans in line with the ventilator intake grill on the bottom of the case, with the ones under the CPU/GPU fans blowing in.
I was considering having one blowing out in my case but did not see much improvement and it was making noise (plus sucking crud insde the fan) so left all 3 in; it should be fine as long as your laptop does not sit airtight to the base. The case seems plastic so no point on blowing air to it - if it is metal and you see it heating it might be worth having a fan cooling the case as it might act as a radiator, but I can´t really tell.

Most companies will tell you noise levels, and you can use something like this to calculate noise - https://www.noisemeters.co.uk/apps/db-calculator/. There is a math behind this but I don´t really remember (been years since I did physics); I just remember that decibels are a log scale so if the difference is >10 dB between two sounds then the weakest one is nearly inaudible in comparison when both are present; I used this instead https://rechneronline.de/log-scale/decibel.php. For your machine, a fan which caps at 35-40 dB should be nearly inaudible under the noise of the laptop fans themselves.

Fan controller:

• I use this one: https://noctua.at/en/na-fc1. It can take both 5 and 12V, and up to 3A so it´s quite safe for 3 fans; in my example, it´s plenty of leeway.
  • The only problem is that the power input is a 4-pin; Noctua sells USB to PWM connectors which would do the bill, but for a 12V power source, you will either need to fiddle with the cables or what I did which was getting a 5.5x2.1 DC to 4-pin PWM converter to use an old hard disk charger (so I did not have to buy one), like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-4pin-fans-male-to-5-5x2-1mm-female-DC-Power-cable-12v-9v-5v-fan-Route-GM/183426302845?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649.
  • Other options is getting the PSU you suggested and a molex-to-4-pin cable. You don´t need this to be PWM as the fan controller is the one doing the modulation
• Very important: make sure that any cables you get are rated for the current you want to pull in! The power supply has a surge protector but the controller/fans won´t.

Example
The charger outputs 1.5A at 12V, so the numbers would be:
Output:1.5Ax12V=18W
Power use: 0.3Ax12Vx3=10.8W. So it is safe (same volts, enough headroom for current)

In my experience, those 3 fans (43.5 dBx3) don´t really make a difference in noise levels if I am using my computer (which was measured at 57 dB, for reference) with the fans at full pelt. If I use the calculator it´s 57.6 dB vs 57 without the fans, a 7% difference in noise.[/QUOTE]

 

Thanks very much for this @TGFB3 I really appreciate you taking the time to write out the above. It will certainly help me and I assume a few others looking to carry out this mod.

Thanks again!!

 

i want to make this mod useing
https://www.emag.ro/ventilator-cors...-levitation-120mm-co-9050041-ww/pd/DK11ZQBBM/
https://www.emag.ro/fan-controller-...&X-Section=search&X-MB=0&X-Search-Action=view
the fans have 2400 rpm max...shoudl work?

 

Get PWM fans.. those are no regulable (the ones in the link above)

You need PWM fans that can be regulated (the speed)

https://www.emag.ro/ventilator-noct...ch&X-MB=0&X-Search-Action=view&ref=no_results

 

1. https://www.forit.ro/ventilatoare-r...ML120+Magnetic+Levitation+120mm+PWM+White+LED

i found it with pwm....same as that one it's ok no?

2. also the fan controler has 3 pin connection...it's ok or i need something else with 4 pin?
https://www.emag.ro/fan-controller-...lbastru-fc4thp/pd/DGRZ14BBM/?ref=fav_pd-title

3.do i need PC Computer Fans, Independent Turn Knob Control? if yes can u update your link from your post is not working anymore

4
https://imgur.com/a/poH7Dxn
what do u think could work like this ? not to cut anything from cooler master u3...in need 2 fans to be like this pic to reach my laptop cpu and gpu coolers and do a better job

 

Modified my Notepad U3 a bit more:


Did bought a Dremel and cut the fans! Yes the work is not perfect but i kept it like this to keep the fans stable in the grid. Else i wouldn't have anywhere to screw them into!

 

Update on my dremel cut for the air to flow more. Got a decrease of around 7 degrees (Celsius) in temperatures in my laptop due to it! Totally recommended!

 

Go big or go home.

Preliminary tests running 3x 140 mm fixed speed fans from Nanoxia look promising.
The current solution does involve a wee bit of duct tape and has one minor issue:
Apparently the fans resonate with each other, creating a low, throbbing penetrating drone.

(Insert snarky remark from Deadpool here).

I've ordered better sound dampening feet (Insert another snarky remark from Deadpool here) and I'll see whether I can move the fans around a little to reduce the droning sound.

I'm truly, deeply tempted to just buy a pair of 200 mm fans from Noctua.

Go big or go home.

 

Any of you know if these will work together for my Notepal mod?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0...in_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&language=en_CA&psc=1
&
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B084JG4619/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Should work fine, just make sure that your fan configuration draws less than 1A total.

 

I will post some picture later but i have finished my Notepal U3 Plus mod.
Thanks to everyone in this thread i was able to make some smart choices.

I went with the following hardware :
coolerguys Fan Power Supply - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0...in_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&language=en_CA&psc=1
Noctua NA-FC1 Fan controller - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B072M2HKSN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Noctua Anti-Vibration mount set - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071W6KYCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3 x Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM fan - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KFCRATC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Legs to lift the front of the Notepal - https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/gp/product/B07Z4SR6XD/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Fan Filter - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07YYZTB8T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The result is amazing and it's working like a charm.
Definitely can feel the huge improvement in airflow.

 

Personally i modded my U3 a little further and did cut the aluminium for better air flow and its a game changer!

Check out my mod: https://imgur.com/a/nfaYsp3

 

For those who are considering buying Noctua's industrial fans: if you're not willing to withstand the 3000rpm model's noise, I'd skip the 2000rpm model and go with the A12x25. Better performance and less dB's: at max rpm -1c and -3db; at the same dB's -2c. All black version exists too.

Better still, the 5v version of the A12x25 has just 100rpm less than the regular 12v models. If I hadn't already bought a 5v to 12v usb converter, plus the industrial 3000 and 2000 rpm, and the A12x25 12v for testing and comparing, that would be my choice (correction: nope, the 5v ones don't come in black). I've never felt the need to set my two A12's to full tilt.

I can game now with my laptop's fans capped to 70% and the Noctua fans rpm speed set to match the noise levels of the laptop. Temps are well under control and not reaching the point where the GPU starts to downclock a bit. With UV on the CPU and GPU, the GPU (Rtx 3080 165w) reaches now +-1825mhz at 0.9v.

Will post some pics and some dB/temps comparisons latter.

 

Anyone have any ideas of a way to power my Noctua NA-FC1 Fan controller via USB?
I'm pretty tired of having to turn on or off the power supply everytime i want the fan to spin. I'd prefer a USB adapter of somesort so when i turn on my computer the fan start and when the computer shutdown, the fan stop.

Any insight would be highly appreciated because i'm not too sure where to look, all the USB option i see is 5V and my 4 fans are 12V.

 

I'm using this - https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B09FLW9XJP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 -
connected to this 5v to 12v usb converter - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QFG6LFR/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AQ8OIL3FGVKZE&psc=1

 

So with the second usb converter you posted, you think i should be able to simply plug it to my Noctua NA-FC1 and whenever i boot my computer the fan will start working?

 

Can't see why not. Just be sure that the port you're plugin into can provide enough power to your fans.

 

I just ordered the cable, that would be super dope, will keep ya update in about 15 days when the cable arrives.