Question regarding eSata port on back of P170HM

I'm building a custom laptop cooler and am looking at various means of powering cooling fans.

I've already ruled out USB as it only provides 5V but after researching eSata, I believe that eSatap ports can provide 12V.

Do any resellers know for sure if that external port is eSatap or if it is just plain old eSata?

 

It's just plain old eSATA I believe (and unrelated, it also doesn't support port multiplier, which is something that's come up in the past)

 

On the P series its eSATAp, but there is only USB voltage there just as a FYI, but it for sure powers external HDD's like the goflexs in eSATA, the W series has esata but not powered.

 

Yeah I figured it's not an eSatap. Oh well...Here's a model of the unit. It's incredibly basic. This is going to be an initial prototype that I'll use for a month or so and then tweak to come up with something much nicer and complete.

The general design is similar to the Targus Chillmat which in my opinion is the best design for using a laptop on your lap. It provides a solid surface to place on your lap and only the sides are open which allows airflow out the sides, away from your body.



Going to use a LianLi PT-FN03 to control the fans.
I would like to go with 3 120mm Enermax Clusters.

And an external 110AC to 12V DC to Molex power source.

 

You know that you can get 120mm fans (like some of the noiseblocker: http://www.noiseblocker.de/en/index.php) that are guaranteed to spin up at 5v with decent rpm?

 

Yeah, problem is, I'd only be able to hook 1 120mm fan up to USB.

 

have you looked for 19v to 12v converters? I did a quick search and found tons of 12v to 19v, but none converting the other way. If you can find one you could mount the converter into that cooler and then have your laptop power cord spliced near the end with two plugs, one to plug into the laptop and the other to plug into the converter thats running the cooler. Would eliminate having two power adapters plugged into the wall.

 

Why? Those USB ports have over 1000mA each...i have two running at 5V with my cooler-build on a 500mA usb charger without any problem. And I can still charge my HTC Desire simultaneously.

Everything on one USB port.

 

I'm sorry, I'm having trouble understanding your post. Could you speak in specifics? Specs? Details?

Are you saying you have 2 120mm fans running off of one of your USB ports? What model fans are they? How did you modify the wiring?

 

Yes i have two fans running...but i use a simple usb charger, because i need the internal usb ports.

Model Scythe Slip Stream Slim 120x120x12mm, 2000rpm...just wired together on one usb cable...

 

What you can wire in depends on the wattage available and the amount that each fan requires to work. Pretty much, so long as the fans will spin in a 5V system then you just have to worry about how many watts each uses and stop adding more fans when you start to strain the 5V 500-1000mah usb (You pretty much have 2.5-5 total watts to play with as that's usually an easier number to figure out on fans).

Adding extra fans won't drop the voltage/steal away voltage (it's basically fixed at 5V), but it will eat up amperage (factors into wattage) so you just have to make sure that you don't start going way over the total wattage available (as you go over the fans will have less and less power to share and they'll start to spin slower - so one lone fan could spin at full speed while two should spin somewhere in the 50-75% speed range).

 

Thanks elscotto! That was an incredibly informative post. Have some +rep!

For the prototype, I used a venting pattern of .130 diameter holes with .250 spacing.


I have lots of other patterns but I want to see how this one works first. Alternatively I can cut a logo, words, or something fancy in the laser once I determine the best approach to venting for airflow while still mainting structural integrity. I don't want the whole unit to bow in the middle under weight of the laptop. There is also the option of bumping up to a thicker gauge aluminum although I'd like to keep it at 0.060 so the unit stays very light.

I did make holes for 140mm fans. In the next prototype, I will most likely provide various hole spacing for 140, 120, and 80mm fan configurations.

I ordered my parts and they should be here this week. I'm going to have the shop guys run the metal under the timesaver and then form the unit today.

For fans I went with two Noiseblocker PK1s. With a 9dBA rating, these things should be silent. I also like how they come with silicone gaskets, short and long cord extensions, and rubber fasteners.

The fans will be mounted and then connected to a LianLi PT-FN03 PCI fan controller. The fan controller will be mounted on two tabs on the right side of the unit which is not visibile in my picture above. This unit also gives me the option of going with 3 fans.

Lastly, the unit will be powered by an external 110v AC to DC 12V power adapter with molex connector. I wanted to avoid external power units but USB power just isn't a viable option for considerable cooling. Why buy good fans if you're miniting them to 5V? It just doesn't make sense. I also didn't want to mess with drawing too much power or screwing with the electronics of things that are plugged into my brand new laptop. The good news is that with a 6 foot wall to brick extension, I can mount the brick inside the back of the laptop cooler so the only thing needed to plug in is the cord from the wall to the brick.

I'm interested to see how it all works and what types of temperatures result. I have no doubt a second or third interation will look much much different. My primary goal was to create a unit that would provide more cooling than anything else out there that is for true lap top (as in, on your lap...not a laptop computer) gaming. First I wanted to get the cooling system sorted out. On my next prototype I will focus on the ergonomics, non slip materials, perhaps a USB hub, and the aesthetics of the thing. I do know that I want to keep the general design the same, as I personally think the Targus Chillmat is the best design for lap top computing.

Hopefully I'll have everything assembled and can provide pictures by this weekend.

 

Very interesting idea unfortunately like you, I had no luck finding any 19v to 12v converters.

 

Now I want one of these.

 

Just as a note, there is less airflow going through the metal sheet by the grid approach than a horizontal stripe approach like the NZXT Cryo

 

Yeah, as I said the hole venting is just to see how it works out. This is a prototype. I'm already in the process of making a few designs that I can laser cut, designs that will go directly over where fans will be. The cool thing about the 2 piece system I'm making is that I can pop off the top and swap it out with something different.

Some things I've been thinking of cutting into the top for venting:

-Skyrim logo over each fan
-Big Lebowski "Dude" face (my favorite movie)
-nvidia logo over each fan
-Aperture laboratories logo over each fan
-half-life logo over each fan
-lines or a V pattern (similar to NZXT)
-skull and crossbones over each fan (I love pirates)
-NY Yankees logo over each fan
-NY Rangers logo over each fan

Just some ideas but I can basically laser cut any pattern. I've also gotten some ideas from a quick Google search.

 

Well I did the prototype and immediately made some changes. Changed the venting entirely (holes were too boring) and increased the height of it by half an inch.

Here is the solid model of the new venting pattern.

For the 140mm fan holes, I went with a design I have seen on laser cut fan grills.

Directly underneath the fan holes I used a custom font. It says FSEVEN which is the handle I use for all of my online gaming.

 

nice thread going here just want to put my two cents in, use a 12v regulator to get 19v down to 12v and you can get 5v fans that are the same cfpm as 12v fans, they just pull more amps, also make sure the angle of the cooling riser is not too high, Ive experimented with the angle and if its too high the front feet wont touch and the laptop will slide off. in addition you could make your own frame and buy an existing cooler and use the parts from it.