Heatsink mod! Must read it if you use Fan control!

Really nice!!

I didn't know there was a perfect heatsink size , so what i did is this:




The images are from an AOA-150
(Don't laugh the copper heatsink, was hard as hell making a perfect fit touching the procesor and the vga)
I wouldn't recommend making a copper heatsink by yourselves (except if you have the right tools and LOTS of patience to make it). the performance using windows xp and skype was like this:

Modded aluminium heatsink

Just turning it on: 43-45
1 hour-----58ºC
1hr:30 hr: 62ºc
2:00hr: 66ºC
2:30hrs: 72
3hrs -75ºc (or something like that, this because i was away )(i use aaa1fancontrol and i forgot to shut that **** out, for giving out more data, my specs are: less than 70ºC shut down, more than 75ºC turn on the fan )
So i have at last 3 hours with a TOTALLY SHUT-DOWN fan
The temp in the room was like 19ºc, in hotter enviroments i think temp will go up quickly. The surface needs to be flat (not like i did, i was browsing the web and making a skype call with a blanket blocking the air exit of the AOA)i used AS5 so the transference of heat from the processor to the heatsink is really fast. however, the heat needs no be expelled from the AOA, which i guess, it fails horribly (notice the upcoming from 2 -2:30-3 hrs) it feels nice to sleep with something warm but the noise of the fan whining fucks anyone's sleep.
Also the RAM heatsinks are glued with heat tape from default, not alumina adhesive. (i've bought one, when i make the change i'll post results)


Now, the copper-handmade-heatsink
1 hr: 53
2hr:58
3hrs:70
3:28 : the fan started up, which means has reached onto 75ºC

Conclusions:

The copper heatsink is really ugly, unless you are very skilled with tools and have LOTS OF patience but, i have to admit it. also make a really nice job. The problem is when reaches at a certain temperature it's REALLY DIFFICULT to lower the temp. causing a lot of usage from the fan (my example, gets on 75ºc and is contantly moaning and whining, even with a cooling pad is really difficult to lower the temp)
Also, if you get some copper sheets, be sure that is like caliber .16, mine was .22 and suffered cutting and bending bending that, i swear!!
btw, i think that can be fixed putting some fins or RAM heatsinks (if i find how to make a nicer heatsink, probably i'll do it)
The modded-aluminium heatsink also makes a good work but all the heat concentrates below the keyboard, making necesarry a coolpad for prevent burning your fingers while typing.
Also, check the noise where does it comes, maybe the noise is because som mis-placed fan or some of the wires atached to the fan. it might help you a lot.

My next project is to find a similar fan and attach it to the heatsink. a bigger fan blows more air and also might sound quieter.

Suggestions and comments Accepted. (also pardon my not-quite--fluently english)

Salute!!

 

Ravenlord, thank you very much for your great contribution. That's the spirit I like to see around here.

My heatsinks are not that perfect, one piece has to be trimmed on one side, but on the other hand it is readily available and quite cheap.

I've got the glue (from ebay/US), now I can proceed with my heatsink mod.

 

I take it everyone in here has the D150. Has anyone taken apart the D250 to see if it's heatsink can be modded? My temps are actually pretty decent. Idle is 38C and load is about 52C. This is using Real Temp to monitor temperatures and LinX to stress test.

I already made a plastic mesh cover to replace my stock mini-PCIE, and I'm in the process of making a metal mesh cover to replace my stock plastic RAM cover. Will post pics when I get a chance (still have to paint the RAM cover black.

 

No, A150.

 

After milling, filing and grinding

front and back


after racking one's brain about the right amount of thermal adhesive:


let the glue cure for some hours


get rid of these nipples, before you assemble the netbook, because these tiny nipples could obstruct or interfere with your heatsinks

 

Really nice mod 7dwarfs!!!
btw, if you can post specs would be really appreciated, because I'm going to crack open (again) my AOA-150, this because some fan problems.(loud noise & vibration also minor problems with HD, hope it's not related not damaged by fan vibration.

Also, i've read somewhere that copper is a really nice heat conductor, but does not RADIATES heat. likes to store it. on the other hand aluminium LOVES to radiate heat, but doesnt conduct so well......This made me think about some crazy-heatpipe mod (hardcore modding, taking a heatpipe out of the case) something that emulate old-heatsink acer models. ideas welcome

Also. the real problem as far as i know is the crappy sunon fan, would be really nice to find a tougher fan that could fit well inside the case and most impotant......same electrical config!!

i'll keep you informed.

 

Thank you

First of all, the algorithm for the fan control from Acer is worthy of improvement.
If the fan doesn't start spinning right after I power up the machine, with the heatsink mod the fan stays still for a few minutes, the heat builds up to approximately 64°C, then the fan starts to spin and it won't stop anymore.
With IntelBurnTest I get like 76°C.

The fan isn't really powerful, maybe a heatsink with less fins would be better, I don't know.
And, at the end, I doubt that a heatsink mod makes sense at all, because the fan is spinning all the time, no matter if you have added a heatsink or not.

I wouldn't replace the base plate, because it has a certain shape, which ensures the contact with the processor, the chipset and a coil, a flat sheet of copper is not appropriate.

 

Something about the heatsink mod about (what would be beter, aluminium or copper?) relevant to the interests

It's in spanish (because i'm from spain) but seems well-documented.

I barely translated it, but seems understandable.

===========================================================================================

About efectiviness of copper and aluminium has been discused a lot in the forum, and never has been a clear conclusion. Always there's disagreement about transference types heat between different materials and how this affects different features of materials

Count my vision about this thread, knowing i'm no expert in thermodynamics and can be a lot of failures

In one hand copper has more thermal conductivity than aluminium. Thermal conductivity is the ease for transfering heat from one material by conduction. A material with more thermal conduction, conducts best the heat.

On the other hand copper has more volumetric heat capacity (it's more or less the same that specific heat but for unit volume instead mass. The volumetric heat capacity indicates the difficulty to vary the temperature of an object. Two different sustances can be aported the same amount of energy as heat, and you can observe that the final temperature of both can be different. This means that there's some elements that are capable of transmiting heat hardly changing it's temperature and anothers that will increase/decrease its temperature notably transfering heat.

Copper has a major volumetric heat capacity, that's why copper will increase its temp less than aluminium, considering a same volume and a same energy aport (in heat)

How does this affect you? As this affects the radiation transfer. The greater the temperature has a body, there's more radiation. Therefore, as we have said that aluminum heats up, radiate more. Besides influencing a new material property, thermal emissivity indicates the ability to irradiate the material, and in this case is also higher in polished aluminum in burnished copper.

That is, copper conducts heat better by conduction, and aluminum better by radiation, considering the same volume (two coolers of the same size).

And now is where the discussion usually comes ... What are the forms of heat transfer in the cooler, because whichever is the most influential (conduction or radiation) we see that it behaves better copper or aluminum. Well, again my vision ... I still do not master the subject:

Transfer to the Processor zone to cooler
-Conducting (between solids)
Transfer from the Processor zone to the area through the aluminum fins / copper sink
-Conduction (between solids)

Transfer from the area of micro to the fins through heat-pipes
- Conduction (exterior of the heat pipe, and also in the liquid / gas internal)
- Convection (in the liquid / gas internal)
Transfer between fins to the air
- Conducting, between the solid (heat) and gas (air). Keep in mind that the thermal conductivity of air is small. Increased airflow also helps to transfer heat better of fins in the air (because it increases the temperature gradient between the surface of the fins and the heatsink). This is related to the transfer into the air by convection, the next paragraph.
- Radiation (no need to contact).
Transfer into the air, from the sink area to far areas of the CPU
Conduction between air molecules.
Convection, forced or unforced, usually forced because we have fans.

What do we conclude from all this? Well, it's very difficult to know which is more efficient. On one hand copper will draw out best the processor heat better because of its higher thermal conductivity, but then needs a efficient way to transfer that heat into the air depends on whether it is more important transfer by conduction or radiation from the cooler and the air, and I'm personally not really clear.

Source: (in spanish)

 

A very brave follow-up.
I have done a very, very similar heatsink mod, all handmade (I hadn't found this thread at that time, :cry: ). I know that you have spent much time on your mod.
After doing my modifications and a few days testing including custom building two external coolers that each had different size/spec fans one problem remained … heat soak. All modders here seem to experience this same phenomena which is where the cooling solution finally hits the upper point of effectiveness then gives up. This takes minutes (full load) or hours (off load) but is a constant with the Acer Aspire One. I tried a few simple things without success. For example there are two areas, left and right of the touchpad that run +11.1C hotter than ambient. These appear to be heat “dead-spots”. They just don’t get cool in use. To reiterate a simple rule:- heat rises. So these (and maybe other) local areas heat up, stay hot and eventually soak through the entire Acer Aspire One, aided by the plastic (insulating) case. Irrespective, again, of any extra cooling.
Aside from replicating the entire outer case in aluminium with fully researched additional cooling vents that support effective active (fan) and passive (no fan) cooling there appears to be no other choice than to … live with it

FWIW I documented every part of the process in a 3,366 word document. I photographed everything, about 3 dozen pics. There was no point:- same result as you.

 

Hey everyone,

just wanted to give a little tip on cooling; I myself have added some additional sinks to the factory sink and have not seen minimal to no improvement in temps under LOAD

Part of the reason why alot of us don't see much improvement is because the intake part of the fan is not really getting fresh air; The way the intake of the fan works is by pulling air through the front of the case and shooting it out of the exaust of the heat sink; Thats why alot of us see nice temps when the netbook is cool; but it gets fairly hot after running for a while;

i will be drilling some holes directly under the intake of the fan so it can pull fresh air from the bottom of the case

-steveo

 

hello, i have been doing one mod to mine replacing the heatsink completely, today ill finish it so im going to take some pictures and upload it later...

yesterday under test i got 55º with full load and fan on about 3 hours test, about 41º in idle
will try later with fan off.




here are the photos with the mounted heatsink....
its got some little tape in the sides to make the air flow go to the front...

Also i drilled 2 holes of about 5cm diameter each on the case to allow better air flow and heat dissipation. the holes got some "metal net" to keep objects from entering.
attention to the VGA and CPU seating since they got different heights...just cut a bit from the original heatsink and use to make height....
will upload more photos later.

 

I was searching for a good heatsink while reading this thread and I was able to find very similar, if not the same same, copper heatsinks, as you seemed to have in your mod.
http://koodinvuoksi.net/memory-heatsink ... -2822.html

I don't know when I get to open my AOA-150 the next time, but there's plenty to do.

 

I made a quick video showing the cooling MOD for my aspire,

I used some heatsinks plus drilled out some holes on the bottom to allow cool air to enter and cool down the heatsinks