How to Rubber Armor Power Supplies

I have had problems with my Toughbook and frankly other notebook power supplies getting dragged off the floor and splitting in half or the case being compromised.

So my newest mod is to help armor the power supply and make it a more rugged companion to my Toughbook.

I decided to just rubber armor it with a few layers of bicycle inner-tube. With the larger supply I had to do it with rings of rubber inner-tube. The smaller I was able to use one piece. So far it is working fine and looks halfway decent. It also keeps it from sliding so much when it is on a smooth and slick surface. If you are ambitious you have hands like a gorilla, like me, you can put on two or three layers like the smaller of the two supplies shown here.

Cost: Free!



Hey it is something to do when you are bored! Plus I had to split the case on one anyway to re-flow some soldier joints and it was a way to hold the thing together.

 

Nice power pack prophylactics there, Az.

I have actually committed this very type of molestation using Plasti-Dip to make common power packs weather and severe conditions (like outdoors in coastal FL or greasy air in a kitchen) resistant. The neat part is they have oodles of colors to choose from.

Way to recycle dude!

mnem
*Protected, not necessarily safe*

 

Does it make the pack run hotter? I haven't really noticed any toughbook power supplies heating up but I do have a couple of laptops at home if I did this mod too it would probably internally melt down the power supply.

 

This is my question also. There has to be dissipation of from the OEM pack and wrapping it in rubber has to slow that dissipation down somewhat. Any noticeable retention of heat from the wrapped pack versus the non-wrapped. I guess the best way to test would be a laser thermal detector, but I don't have one.

 

Mine has run for 3 weeks so far... The case is already pretty thick, it just slides on smooth surfaces and cracks when dropped. The smaller power supply in the picture is a Chinese replacement model. I had to first split the case so I could repair it. The "condoming" came about as a way of keeping it back together, and of course help protect it from AC line borne viruses ...

 

You may be ok with the lower voltage of the toughbook, but I know the power supplies for my voodoo, sager and alienware M9750 would be toast in short order. One of the voodoo even has a fan built into the power supply 150w brick. Biggest brick voodoo made was 350w. They put out a lot of heat.

 

I've spent a fair bit of time designing equipment like this; aside from the units with fans in them, wrapping a brick in rubber is not a bit different from the original plastic box they come in.

Plastic and rubber both have similar thermal transfer properties, that is to say, crap. Wrapping a sealed plastic box in rubber will only serve to waterproof the box, it will not make it radiate heat any worse. It can't, because it's already crap at radiating heat, that's why all these power bricks die so quickly from fried capacitors as it is.

A few, VERY few, have a side which has exposed aluminum to help radiate heat; or are like the Lind units which are built in an extruded aluminum case. Obviously, those would not be good candidates, but otherwise, I say wrap 'em up or Plasti-Dip 'em. You can't possibly make 'em any worse. Plus, after you Dip 'em, you can always drop 'em in a bucket of water to cool 'em off.

mnem
It must be the fumes getting to me.

 

I will start a new company now!

Black Hawk power supplies!

 

Here we go again.

I bet this thread goes BAD in 3....2.....1......


But it's fun to throw gasoline on a fire!

 

Dude... the licensing fees on tire tread patterns will kill ya.


mnem
*Untreaded*

 

I wonder if you need to cover the whole power supply, or if you could just armor the corners. I would think it would be a corner that would hit first if it fell, and then the rest of the unit would be open for cooling.

 

What about studded tire treads for us folks in the snow belt?

 

I was thinking maybe you could modify one of those foam beer coolie things, as they're cheap and most come with some form of politicaly incorrect slogan already printed on them.

 

I use the IBM 8 amp ones. They are ridiculously heavy duty. They screw together and have a complete metal shield inside. If I recall correctly it's actually a dual shield.
I have never had a Lind to compare, but as far as OEM stuff, I haven't seen anything heavier duty. It really makes me look at the OEM Panasonic and wonder why they used a relatively light duty power supply for TOUGHBOOKS?
I am more concerned about breaking whatever the IBM 8 amp units fall on. Like my toes.