Creator Zac Builds needed to cover a desktop PC in plain sight of their lounge setup. But as a substitute of simply putting a discrete mini-PC behind their TV, they determined to construct a customized case that enables them to mount it on their lounge fan. They shared the challenge on their Facebook page, the place they began with a Dreo 519S Tower Fan as the bottom of the unit. Aside from serving as the right hiding spot for the pc, the setup additionally served a secondary objective by including extra air cooling to the system. At its most setting, the Dreo 519S can hit wind speeds of 28 ft per second, which is greater than sufficient to assist preserve the mini-PC’s followers sluggish and preserve the system’s temperature in verify.
The very first thing that Zac Builds did was to disassemble the mini-PC — an AtomMan G7 PT — to take measurements and 3D-print the bottom that can maintain the parts to the again of the fan. They then disassembled the fan’s rear cowl and 3D-printed 4 heavy-duty brackets to carry the mini-PC’s base to the fan whereas additionally guiding the airflow by means of the pc. While the preliminary base was a single flat sheet of plastic with standoffs to carry the varied PC elements, the ultimate model had cutouts to assist enhance airflow.
With the pc mounted on the Dreo 519S, Zac Builds 3D-printed the brackets and exterior case that can defend the parts and be sure that air goes by means of the system. They initially made this into 4 elements (two elements for the brackets and two extra for the face plates) however found a spot between the 2 face plates the place air might seep by means of, thus ruining the stream. So, for his or her second iteration, they 3D-printed the face plate as one single unit and likewise added vent holes over the PC’s heatsink for extra environment friendly cooling. The face plates additionally characteristic 5 I/O ports to permit the PC to hook up with their TV and different peripherals, though we think about that they most popular wi-fi connectivity because it’s form of bizarre to have a bunch of wires plugged into your lounge fan. Finally, to keep away from having an influence brick dangling from the again of the equipment, Zac Builds added a 3D-printed base that hid the ability unit and threaded the mini-PC’s energy cable contained in the fan’s housing.
The accomplished construct efficiently hid the mini-PC, with the one trace from the entrance that there’s one thing totally different with the lounge fan being the tiny field connected to its aspect and the one HDMI cable connecting it to the TV. It additionally had the additional advantage of lowering the pc’s fan noise by round 10 to fifteen dB due to the extra airflow that the stand fan brings to the desk. The solely challenge that we see right here is which you can’t use the fan elsewhere if you wish to play video games in your lounge TV.
You can watch the whole construct right here:
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