Expanded or perforated metal/plastic

[Chuck in E. TN]

May not be the right place to post this, but I would like to build a cooling stand for my laptop. It's beginning to have overheating issues. And I'm off work today and snowed in...
I need a source of expanded metal like aluminum, or perforated plastic that can be easily bent or fabricated to the shape of a wedge. I can find expanded steel at Home Depot or Lowe's (I'm in the US) but it is heavier and more expensive than I want to invest in. I'm looking for something like what is shown in this video: http://wn.com/My_Homemade_Laptop_Cooler. I have or can come up with the muffin fan, power supply, switches and potentiometer for speed control if needed.

[mklotz]

Is it worth building your own when you can buy one for less than $20?

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Notepal-Notebook-R9-NBC-8PBK-GP/dp/B002NU5V4A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292262153&sr=8-1

[Chuck in E. TN]

Short answer, yes. I visited the link and saw a review that said the usb connector became intermittent afer a short while.
I like the adjustability of the fans in your example, but don't like powering the fans from the laptop usb port. I use this laptop as my main desktop at home and would provide a separate power supply and speed control for the fans.

Chuck in E. TN

[BillTodd]

It's beginning to have overheating issues.

Have you tried blowing through the fan and heatsink with an airline?  (Sometimes the heat-sink compound between the heat-sink and the cpu dries up and needs to be renewed - not a job for the faint hearted on most of the newer machines!)

As for the cooling stand, how about adapting a cooking tray? (are they called a trivet?) - the type with chromed rods

Bill

[crabsign69]

perhaps you should clean the fan and fins in the laptop there probably dirty with dust if all of a sudden its over heating then that will be your problem.
as for a cooling platform a couple sheets of steel with holes drilled into it  form a box and install computer fans into that then power them with a 12v power supply
but cleaning the fan and fins with probably solve the problem.
just my 2 cents

[andyf]

Chuck, how about a shallow rectangular frame with a rubber-tipped leg at each corner sticking upwards, like an upside-down table? Perch the laptop on the legs - front legs shorter than the back, if you want it to slope. Mount fan/fans on the frame, under the laptop. No need for any mesh.

As a short-term measure while snowed in, use the laptop on a table in the garden.  

Andy

[Chuck in E. TN]

I've thought about the garden Andy, lol, but it's only 22 deg f/-5.5 c out there! Even in the enclosed smoking porch, it's only 30deg f., but dryer!
I thank you folks for all input. I have cleaned the airway best I can blowing through it with lung power. Don't have a working air compressor. I will replace the heat sink grease on the cpu as soon as I get to Radio Shack to get some.
I think I will have a rummage through the wife's cupboards for a sacrificial baking rack, or see what I can come up with. I could build it from wood brown stuff(bite my toung!), but liked the one I saw in the video I posted the link to and woundered if anyone had a source for expanded metal/plastic that wasn't horribly expensive.

Chuck in E. TN (3" and still comming, maybe no school tomorrow! Yea!)

[Blade]

Do you have a surplus city or something similar in your area? sometimes they have old computer racks or other items that use grates like that.
 
Edited to add that you can sometimes get the perforated plastic light grating with the little squares at lowes hardware.

[75Plus]

Check the window glass area at HD or Lowes. The used to carry perforated aluminum panels that could be inserted in the lower pane of a storm door as a safety feature when the kids were little. As I recall they were about 22 or 24 gauge metal.

Joe

[Alan Haisley]

Check housewares departments for cake cooling racks. 

Alan

[picclock]

If your bold !

(Guaranteed to void warranty - which is useless anyway as they will claim its your fault / not covered as stated on page 37, paragraph 23 subclause 4d - which you should have known  )

Remove the battery, remove bottom of the laptop - loads of screws small size and clip on panels - to expose the back left hand side of the laptop, then clear out the accumulated fluff from the fan airways. The fan mounted there sucks air in from underneath and blows it out of slots in the back. This causes all manner of fluff to get sucked up and trapped by the coarse filters eventually slowing airflow to a point where it overheats.

Quick fix once you've done it is to get some of those stick on rubber feet to raise the height of the laptop air intake. If you want to use it on your lap use a tray which has the bag filled with polystyrene bits underneath, as this will give a secure position (no more sliding off, room for coffee, real mouse etc.), good airflow, and not cause overheating of your lap.

If you take it apart and it doesn't work, or you can't reassemble it    - it was only a suggestion and I'm not liable. I have done this many times to help people out - and you have to do this more or less to replace the hard drives which seem to be more prone to fail in laptops, so its good practice for the inevitable  .

Good Luck

picclock