router fan mod

Angst

Angst

Angst

Soldato
Joined
26 Nov 2008
Posts
4,110
Location
Leeds
welcome all,
this epic tory all began a few weeks back when my modem router started to loose connectivity and slow down my internet from 6mbs to 0.3mbs after been on for prelonged periods of time.
after very little looking on the interweb i found lots of people with netgear routers having the same problem (one guy had had 7 routers in 8months). all these cases were caused by the the same culprit overheating. i decided that this was the most likely cause for me too so i opened ip the router to see were i could add extra cooling to it.
when i finnaly got inside the router i could see where the pcb kept melting slightly, this confirmed my overheating theory.
the first step too solving the problem was to add some spare ramsinks i had lying aaround to the chips in the router, this seemed ok but i wanted to keep it as cool as possible. that was when i found a picture on that place called google images where a guy had attached a fan to the side of his router, i liked the idea and decded to give it a go. ;)
so i got my trusty soildering gun out and here is the result

 
Thinking about doing the same to my router as that has problems with heat sometimes and also my home cinema amp, trouble is where do u get the power from for the fan ?
 
where the power jack is, if you turn the pcb over there is two blobs of soilder or something simmiler where the pcb is connected to the power. just soilder the black n red wires on the fan in to them, make sure you have + - the right way around.;)
 
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update
the router is now on version 2.0 as it were, i have added a 56ohm resistor to the fan as the sound was insanely annoying. i would guesstimate that the speed of the fan has dropped by about a 700-1000rpm.
 
I can faintly see the opening you've made in the router itself - is it an irregular crack in the casing? That will probably cause turbulence and pressure to airflow causing you more noise.

Also you could use a bigger fan, 120mm for example, and run it slower and it will basically be inaudible but probably still blow more air than the fan your currently using.

Decent job though, I have the same sort of router (DGN2000 netgear) and so far doesnt overheat, but my older DG834gt sure did so I had a standalone vertical style fan that Im meant to use to cool myself/the room but I used instead to blow air onto the router!
 
xiphrex said:
I can faintly see the opening you've made in the router itself - is it an irregular crack in the casing? That will probably cause turbulence and pressure to airflow causing you more noise.

Also you could use a bigger fan, 120mm for example, and run it slower and it will basically be inaudible but probably still blow more air than the fan your currently using.
Click to expand...

yeah about the hole, i only had a drill with a 10mm bit and some sandpaper available so im going to try and borrow some holesaw drill bits at the weekend and get the job done properly. and as for a 120mm fan its bigger the my router width ways so it wouldnt really work but thanks for the advice.
 
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Nice work phill0i :)

Is there any chance of ill effect from soldering a fan onto the routers PCB?

How come you know how to solder and how did you know where to connect the fan too heh? :D
 
thanks
i did electronics at gcse, granted it was only very basic but it gives you a good idea of what does what. and no there shouldnt be any ill effects unless you go mad with the solder or hold the soldering iron against the pcb for two long.
 
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