Custom notebook cooler idea

Hello.
I have a P-7811FX laptop, and due to the cost and vent placement of traditional notebook coolers being not where I want them to be, I've been thinking about making a custom notebook cooler. Could this work or am I insane?

Here's my crappy drawing picture

I've decided to use computer case fans like this one and place them directly under where the vents are. The thing I'm concerned is how to power these fans. Would I have to buy a PSU (I'm not familiar with desktop computers lol) or can I get away with using some sort of adapter for these kinds of plugs?

Also, what material do you guys recommend (I have absolutely no experience here ) for the base (colored yellow in the picture) that's sturdy enough to hold up the laptop and conducts temperature well, and easy to get hold of?

Any feedback is welcome and thanks for all your help!

 

Well, to power them, you dont need a PSU.
Since the Fans power format is "Molex", follow THIS GUIDE to make the molex plug into a USB plug. Then the fans will be powered by USB.

Now, the problem is... you will have 3 seperate USB plugs... to fix that, you could buy a Small USB Hub (with at least 3 USb plugs on it. Tuck that under the base or somewhere unnoticable. Then plug in those fans into that. Then, the hub, will have one USB plug, powering the three fans. That you can just plug into your laptops USB Port.
HERE is One.

Im not sure about the base... Wood is always an easy option. But you will have to find a way to attach the fans.
maybe an Aluminum Plate, and cut holes in it (if you have the machinery to do so) and find something to attach for feet. Im sure you can find large rubber feet online somewhere. Depends on how tall your cooler turns out. you also want space for the fans to suck in (or blow out) air.

i also suggest facing the fans in the direction to blow air up onto the computer (instead of sucking air down). It usually works much better.

 

Kamin's quick and dirty cooling board for the Gateway FX Notebook

Its quick and easy to make

Working on a better design out of carbon kevlar once i get a bit of time at home to work

 

@ahl395
That's a very creative solution, but sadly, I don't think the FX series has adequate USB power to support my setup (It's even having troubles with the Cryo LX)

Is there anything I should know using a PSU to power the fans?

On second check, I've discovered that the low-end PSUs have a cost similar to the USB hubs, and plus, it has an on/off switch.

On another note, is 300-500W enough to support 3-5 fans?

 

^^^
Well, it depends on the Wattage of the fans... If all the fans Wattage total is 200W, then thats what you need. If its 500W, then thats what you need.

I dont see the Wattage listed for the fan you linked to, so, find another with the Watts listed.

 

200w is enough to powe 5 fans plus an active thermo electric device.......

 

Altair I made one that looks much like your draw up (pretty good actually lol) and what I did:

1. Went to the thrift store and bought an AC/DC converter rated for what my 3 fans would draw all together.

2. Cut off the end of that converter and soldered on an old PSU end (that 4 pin connector) and I use that to plug into the fans.

The setup is pretty non-mobile but works perfectly for what i need. My fans are pretty tall so I need to prop up the cooler quite a bit (I have it sitting on corks but want to go higher so the fans can suck up more air). My recommendation to you is to get some powerful fans. The ones I got were red LED and lighter than hell which unfortunately means they don't move much air. Raising up my laptop some more will help this out though. If you want some pictures just let me know.

Hope this helps

 

After reading some of the posts above, I was thinking that Altair4 meant something like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3478786&Sku=ULT40144
I started thinking that if the cpu is drawing 25w to 45w, why would you want something that is consuming more energy than the cpu in order to keep the cpu cool? So I looked up power consumption of these fans and yes they vary but you have to pick and choose.

It states only 3.12 watts of draw. So 3 of these would be under 10 watts.
200w would power 64 of these and you would have a Hovercraft instead of a laptop.

Maybe this clears things up abit, maybe not.

 

well in that case... hovercraft here i come

Yeah computer fans are pretty low power. I'm powering the 4 i use with 2 USB ports, so i'm pretty sure you could rig something up that used a bit more power and still be pretty sucessful with a cooling pad.

But in my next attempt i'm going for efficent and silent cooling. I barely notice the hum of the fans i use but thats because i've grown use to it. I want ninja like fans that make next to no noise

 

Thanks for the feedback guys.
@Kosgey
Now that I've thought about it, I've decided to scrap the PSU idea (overkill) and use a AC to molex adapter, so my setup should be quite similar to yours. Pictures would be great.
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556029977.html

However, what I'm now concerned with is that I don't want my fans to run at full speed, all the time. I'm looking for a fan controller, specifically one with a 3 pin male end and a 4 pin molex female. I looked for a long time but did not manage to find one. If any one can give me a link to something like this it will be much appreciated.

 

Here are some pics I just snapped off: http://img8.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=img0391e.jpg
I wasn't too concerned about looks as evident by my pink shrink wrap and electrical tape lol. Like I said earlier, I'd like to lift it higher to increase air flow - as it is right now it does not feel too high or uncomfortable.

 

I like it!

Does the red clash with the orange any?

 

Thank you. I don't think they clash at all - I've never even thought about it. If it was a problem i could just turn off the laptop lights or if you're making one just do non LED fans.

 

I'll be getting 4 of these for my next cooling board

http://www.dvhardware.net/review133_noctua_nf_p12.html
Amazing fans... but gods at the color... pinkish brown

12.6dBa at 900 RPM with a 37CFM air flow... not bad and deadly silent

And while they are VERY low power... i'm going to have to figure out how to make the set up run off 2 USB ports (i hate extra wires)

 

Wow those seem pretty nice. So you're going to squeeze 4 120mm fans under your laptop?? What are you mounting them to? I'd recommend steering clear of using the USB port and just doing an ac/dc converter - its only one wire.

 

Yeah i figure go big or go home
Plus i LOVE how quite these fans are... but they are a bit more expensive than most and are hella ugly (color wise)

I'm going to try to make the cooler out of carbon/kevlar. A buddy of mine has been collecting decent size scraps of it from work instead of just trashing them. So i'm going to give a go at working with it.

Semi bullet proof notebook coolers FTW

I doubt it will work too well to begin with, but hopefully after a few tries i can get the base done and can mount the fans.

Yeah i know its only 1 wire... but i even hate the power cord. Though i have a Targus 180 so i might be able to splice the power from that...