A Little Cooling and A Big Temp Drop

[Elmer]

Have an AC88 that has the dual arm7 cpu, and I noticed that cpu temps were always in the 80s (C). Not terribly hot, but seemed like a possible long term life stressor, so I decided to experiment. Had a cheap 4 inch USB fan that I sat beside the router (vents are on the side) and amazingly this cheap and easy cooling experiment dropped the temp down to 55 C ! Don't know if it will have any stability benefits, but I have since place my modem near the air stream also. Fan operates on just a few watts. Should be even more important in terms of longevity/stability as summer approaches.

 

[skeal]

Have an AC88 that has the dual arm7 cpu, and I noticed that cpu temps were always in the 80s (C). Not terribly hot, but seemed like a possible long term life stressor, so I decided to experiment. Had a cheap 4 inch USB fan that I sat beside the router (vents are on the side) and amazingly this cheap and easy cooling experiment dropped the temp down to 55 C ! Don't know if it will have any stability benefits, but I have since place my modem near the air stream also. Fan operates on just a few watts. Should be even more important in terms of longevity/stability as summer approaches.

I've had my AX88U sitting on a laptop cooler since I got it. Laptop cooler is so quiet you can't hear it while standing next to it. I get the same results as you. I wouldn't want the electronics to run to much lower though as that can cause it's own problems.

 

[WuTang LAN]

It's a cool little experiment but don't stress it over the temps.
These are very low power CPUs inside our kit- and as you have discovered- the tiniest amount of airflow is all these suckers need.

 

[heysoundude]

I hope you realise its a bit of a vicious cycle you've set upon: the more air you move through it, the more particulates you'll have to eventually clean out of it.
(now you need to filter the air before running it through your router, or increase the frequency of your maintenance interval, or quite possibly both...does airspeed have any effect on maintenance requirements? what if you turbocool your router? or a liquid cooling scenario, with the fan blowing across a radiator external to the router? this last one would probably be the most efficient cooling regime...)
does anyone have any numbers of CPU temp vs throughput other than Asus?

 

[Elmer]

"I hope you realise its a bit of a vicious cycle you've set upon: the more air you move through it, the more particulates you'll have to eventually clean out of it."

A canned air shot through the vents once I see temps pull into the 60s should do it. The can sits near my keyboard. Not a big deal. I believe, maybe wrongly, that cooler electronics lasts longer, and I'd like my $300 router to last a while. I'm still amazed that a small external air stream flowing through the side vent can drop temps by 25+ C. Certainly wasn't expecting results like that.

 

[dosborne]

Lots of ways to provide a little cooling for peace of mind. I typically mount a small 5V fan on the chassis of my devices and power them from the USB ports. I went nuts playing with software for my Raspberry Pi's and wrote a program that varies the fan speed based on temperature, but certainly isn't needed in most routers. Just a bit of basic air flow.

 

[WuTang LAN]

what if you turbocool your router? or a liquid cooling scenario, with the fan blowing across a radiator external to the router? this last one would probably be the most efficient cooling regime...)

Yeah sure, or just dunk it into liquid nitrogen .

Please tell me you're not serious . Either way- thanks for the comedy.

 

[heysoundude]

Yeah sure, or just dunk it into liquid nitrogen .

Please tell me you're not serious . Either way- thanks for the comedy.

Of course I wasn’t serious! That was the first jolt of caffeine this morning talking: all the sarcasm that didn’t leak out while I was asleep lead that charge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jerry6]

yeah i.ve ben running 2 140mm fans on my router for years keeps it 5-8 degrees cooler than without thefamns , can't hurt anything and with the filters not muc more dust than usual gets into the router my 3200 runs in the 40's and 50's instead of 60- 68 degrees

 

[consorts]

i use a cheap $5 usb blower on my ac3100 to lower cpu temp to 60°C

i often wonder if most of the people bitching about hardware failures

could have avoided it had they done more about the heat stress.

 

[Clark Griswald]

Forum members seem to enjoy "tinkering", I am waiting for one of you to add something like:

https://koolance.com/450W-chiller-subassembly-vlx-450

 

[royarcher]

Forum members seem to enjoy "tinkering", I am waiting for one of you to add something like:

https://koolance.com/450W-chiller-subassembly-vlx-450

It's really quite amazing at how little you have to do to get the heat down a tad I first got my rt ac 88 u about two years ago and noticed that simply placing it on top of a small (about 2.5by1.2 inch)box,in this case an old Nokia 920 otter box,it runs perceptibly cooler so its sat there happily ever since. Ps plus 4 supports cut outs from an egg cartoon for each corner pad I don't think they like being suspended only by the centre of the under side

 

[Ronald Schwerer]

IMHO. this is way overkill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721SYYTF/?tag=snbforums-20. A solution in search of a problem.

 

[gattaca]

It's really quite amazing at how little you have to do to get the heat down a tad I first got my rt ac 88 u about two years ago and noticed that simply placing it on top of a small (about 2.5by1.2 inch)box,in this case an old Nokia 920 otter box,it runs perceptibly cooler so its sat there happily ever since. Ps plus 4 supports cut outs from an egg cartoon for each corner pad I don't think they like being suspended only by the centre of the under side

Yeap. Air flow!

So sticking these routers (or any electronics) inside a cabinet increases the need for airflows to help with the thermals. Temperature extremes (Heat or Cold) are the enemy of most electronic components which are designed for a specific operating ranges. Also remember that while temps from the CPU or RADIO chips are within their specs, they may be close enough to cook other things nearby like capacitors, etc. In general, I cannot tell you how many circuit boards I've seen where there are clearly "hot" components mounted that may have operated OK but they were cooking the boards to the point of discoloring them and guess what eventually failed! If have your router stuck in a cabinet or closet with little ambient air or you live in climate where the temps get up there and there's little A/C, then your setup might benefit for some added air-flows from a little 4" fan. FWIW, I keep a little 4" fan on top of my modem b/c there have been so many issues reported them failing. Without the fan, it gets quite warm... My advice, if you think elevating the unit helps or adding a small fan helps, then go for it. Just remember, you will have to blow out the dust every few months and clean the fan. There's a reason manufacturers avoid fans like the plague! As always, have fun at this and YMMV! It's nice to see some wild humor... !!

 

[dosborne]

I keep all my current stuff in an old stereo cabinet. The back is open. The glass door on the front allows for easy access. Not 100% dust proof but it keeps the majority off the components. Anything that doesn't come with an internal fan either gets one added by me (or really doesn't generate much heat) or gets placed on the one shelf that does have a backing. I have a couple 8" fans that blow air across that shelf. I'm old school and ancient electronics didn't handle heat well. I figure it doesn't hurt to take these small precautions.

The project I mentioned above for the Raspberry Pis was more an exercise in programming and building the hardware than the actual usefulness but it is neat to see the fans power up and increase/decrease speed as required.

 

[WuTang LAN]

IMHO. this is way overkill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721SYYTF/?tag=snbforums-20. A solution in search of a problem.

I agree, that is overkill.

 

[royarcher]

Yeap. Air flow!

So sticking these routers (or any electronics) inside a cabinet increases the need for airflows to help with the thermals. Temperature extremes (Heat or Cold) are the enemy of most electronic components which are designed for a specific operating ranges. Also remember that while temps from the CPU or RADIO chips are within their specs, they may be close enough to cook other things nearby like capacitors, etc. In general, I cannot tell you how many circuit boards I've seen where there are clearly "hot" components mounted that may have operated OK but they were cooking the boards to the point of discoloring them and guess what eventually failed! If have your router stuck in a cabinet or closet with little ambient air or you live in climate where the temps get up there and there's little A/C, then your setup might benefit for some added air-flows from a little 4" fan. FWIW, I keep a little 4" fan on top of my modem b/c there have been so many issues reported them failing. Without the fan, it gets quite warm... My advice, if you think elevating the unit helps or adding a small fan helps, then go for it. Just remember, you will have to blow out the dust every few months and clean the fan. There's a reason manufacturers avoid fans like the plague! As always, have fun at this and YMMV! It's nice to see some wild humor... !!

Love your handle must have seen that movie half a dozen times never disappointed

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

This discussion about cooling is (pun intended) sooo cool. I've had this older Asus RT-AC68U that has had a severe heating issue vs. another 2 RT-AC68U's I use regularly. The front facing side opposite the heatsink would get extremely hot to the touch verses the other 2 which would not. (one of the other two was a replacement by the seller for the overheating one--let me keep the old one). I didn't know how to check its operating temps until I got Merlin 384.12. My other 2 run "normally" at around 75c +- 3c. my overheating one runs at 90c+ just idling. I did open up the case to see if the issue could be visually id'ed. Did see that the heatsink didn't sit properly and tried to slightly bend it with outer edges bent up so when I screwed it back down the center would seat first. (the PCB itself now has a very slight bend to it.) added some thermal paste some additional thermal pads on the bottom of the board closed up the case and ran it. Still was running hot. (so mothballed it--that was over a year ago)

After reading this discussion thread, I hit upon the idea of setting the router (vented side toward airflow) on top of the exhaust vent of a room HEPA air cleaner. Voila! 2.4 GHz: 42c - 5.0 GHz: 46c - CPU: 56c.

Ordering 5v USB fans, thermal pads, and 2-sided tape!

 

[royarcher]

This discussion about cooling is (pun intended) sooo cool. I've had this older Asus RT-AC68U that has had a severe heating issue vs. another 2 RT-AC68U's I use regularly. The front facing side opposite the heatsink would get extremely hot to the touch verses the other 2 which would not. (one of the other two was a replacement by the seller for the overheating one--let me keep the old one). I didn't know how to check its operating temps until I got Merlin 384.12. My other 2 run "normally" at around 75c +- 3c. my overheating one runs at 90c+ just idling. I did open up the case to see if the issue could be visually id'ed. Did see that the heatsink didn't sit properly and tried to slightly bend it with outer edges bent up so when I screwed it back down the center would seat first. (the PCB itself now has a very slight bend to it.) added some thermal paste some additional thermal pads on the bottom of the board closed up the case and ran it. Still was running hot. (so mothballed it--that was over a year ago)

After reading this discussion thread, I hit upon the idea of setting the router (vented side toward airflow) on top of the exhaust port of a room HEPA air cleaner. Voila! 2.4 GHz: 42c - 5.0 GHz: 46c - CPU: 56c.

Ordering 5v USB fans, thermal pads, and 2-sided tape!

I'd just leave it in front of your air vent .It seems to be doing the trick and you won't be sucking dust into it

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

Yeah sure, or just dunk it into liquid nitrogen .

Please tell me you're not serious . Either way- thanks for the comedy.

That's a bit extreme. I think holding a CO2 Fire extinguisher on it would be a bit more resonable. Get the local fire department to refill it for you free!