opinions to my simple HD cooling strategy?

knutinh · Post by **knutinh** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:00 am

No revolution, but I am trying to solve the three common HD silencing problems:
a) airboren noise
b) structural noise (vibrations)
c) getting adequate cooling

For this, I have bought a 0.2mm cupper plate, and I am looking for foam of decent properties. The thought is to put the HD in a "box" of foam that both dampen air-noise, while de-coupling the entire structure from the case. Two Cu fins pointing out are supposed to transport heat without having to use a fan.

My thought is that even though the Cu will be coupled to the HD (and thus vibrate), they wont transmitt much of that sound as they are not coupled to anything but air (and the HD itself)

I will put this box in the bottom of my lc16 HTPC case.

Any opinions welcomed!

regards
Knut Inge

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:15 am

its already been done.

Smartdrive 2002c

but it does work very well, i have one. if you want to make your own go for it, you will probably get very similar results. but if you dont want to take the time and effort to build it yourself you can just buy it.

knutinh · Post by **knutinh** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:43 am

That one is $67, while a DIY one would be next to free. Furthermore, I can adjust the level of noise damping and cooling more to suit my needs.

What is wrong with your model? Noisy or hot?

regards
Knut Inge

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:48 am

my model? the hard drive or the enclosure?

its neither hot nor loud. i cant hear it at all actually. and it runs cooler than it would outside of the enclosure. it was worth the $70 price tag to me.

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:33 pm

I would use much heavier copper. thin stuff has a hard time accepting all that heat. some would argue that an equilibrium is reached eventually anyways, but still a large copper sink is best.

I never would put foam on my hd, I like my data and my wallet, but if you had to, I would make sure that the heat instantly was dissipated.

knutinh · Post by **knutinh** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:34 am

I guess equilibrium will always be reached. The big question is the difference between ambient temps and hd temps in such a construction. If the cupper is not efficient enough, the hd will reach to high temperatures to operate reliably.

I chose the 0.2mm because it was simple to bend. If it is to thin, I will have to buy 1mm or 2mm and cut it into straight pieces.

One question is "how much heat" will reach the upper ends of the metal. Another question is how much heat the metal can deliver into the air. Perhaps ribs are needed to efficiently deliver the heat. I will experiment carefully.

knut

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 5:27 pm

ah hm, yes 1 or 2 mm thick stuff is very easy to bend. i suggest using a blunt chisel. first draw a line, then, put the copper on a cloth with wood behind it, bang with the bluntish crudy chisel, make a few dings in it, then fold it over once you get a groove going. That is how I do it. the more dings of course the more it will fold over. Warming up the copper helps but that burns the crap out of your skin. Copper bends easily.

the thicker the better, the more surface space the better, BUT the more CONTACT space the best in my opinion. all of these heat pipe solutions lack metal to metal contact, they expect all of the heat to migrate up the tubes without a mass of metal initially drawing out the heat. I bet your system will work so long as you can maximize metal to metal contact and have good air flow on the plates.