Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cooling]

Questions regarding the cooling of electronics. Varies based on needs, can include fans, heatsinks, proper ventilation, peltiers, or PCB design and mounting. Could also refer to cooling applications, such as freezers in industry. Repair questions for cooling applications will most likely be closed if outside the scope of the site and FAQ: in this case, try DIY.StackExchange.com.

Questions regarding the cooling of electronics. Varies based on needs, can include fans, heatsinks, proper ventilation, peltiers, or PCB design and mounting. Could also refer to cooling applications, such as freezers in industry.

Repair questions for cooling applications will most likely be closed if outside the scope of the site and FAQ: in this case, try the DIY Stack Exchange.

Please see the DIY Stack Exchange for home cooling applications and repair (fridge, freezer, AC, etc); try the Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange for automotive cooling applications and repair.

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Why aren't CPUs cooled from below as well as above?

The transistory bits of an integrated circuit are approximately in the centre of the (plastic or ceramic) package. They sometimes get hot, and we cool them by affixing a heat sink to one side. Sometimes we just blow air over them with a fan. Some…
Paul Uszak
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How do you build a machine in a solid block?

I'm aware that a number of mass produced electronics are embedded in a solid thermal resin of some form. How reasonable is that for the home hacker? What materials are used? How do you do it? Are there resources and examples available on the…
Suni
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Fans: suck or blow?

For a fan, should air be sucked in, or should it blow air out? I'm talking about an enclosure mounted fan.
Thomas O
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If the silicon wafers from which the processors are made are so sensitive that workers wear special suits how is delidding a processor possible?

I saw many videos on YouTube in which people delid processors and then apply better liquids for cooling the processor. Example: i5 & i7 Haswell & Ivy Bridge - FULL Delid Tutorial - (Vice Method) However I also saw that people working in fabs are…
yoyo_fun
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Is it a good idea to use a single heatsink for two IC's?

I am using a 7805 IC along with a diode bridge Br805D (bridge rectifier) IC on a general purpose PCB, with a 220V / 50Hz AC input. Both the components tend to heat up really quick and I plan to set up a heat sink. My question is: Is it correct to…
Shakti Phartiyal
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What's needed to put a PC fan into reverse?

I've got a PC fan here (I've peeled off a sticker). And although this one doesn't come with the usual 3 or 4 wire connectors, it has enough electronics in it to only operate when power + is on red, and - is black but/and it won't operate when power…
isync
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Enclosure best air flow profile

I'm in final step of a project an I need some advice about what heat evacuation profile should I use to place three fans for cooling, I have four alternatives as shown in the diagram but I don't know which will achieve the best performance in terms…
Julian
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How to cool down DIP devices?

I have AD811 in my application that works just fine but as it is working in +/-15 v supply at around 14.5 mA, it's power is around one third of watts. It is hot when touched. I checked if this is a malfunction in this website and contacted Analog…
Aug
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What is this spongy material?

Hi, while I am tring to repair electronic circuit. I'm encountering this sponge. I wonder what is this sponge? and can I find out what it is used for. I often see this in sensitive circuits like in laptop board and near to cooling parts. Adheres…
mehmet
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Determine whether chassis is a suitable heatsink?

I picked up a sweet little aluminium box for a small USB powered DAC project... ...and while putting it together I noticed the side panels of the box were very cool to the touch, and made of thick aluminium with a promising looking design: I've…
abza
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Pour-and-drain conformal coating as an alternative to potting

Is there a standard process to pour conformal coating, similar to potting, but then drain the excess? The benefit of draining the excess is to reduce weight and get better cooling. From my limited experience, potting usually involves pouring a solid…
JimFred
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How do I make an opamp comparator work in schmitt-trigger mode?

I want to control a small 12V case fan. I will set values of R1, R2 and R3 so that the fan will work above temperatures 40oC. I understand that in these kind of systems, there will be an indecisive region in which the comparator output will be fast…
hkBattousai
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How to cool electronics when the air is always hot

I'm in the process of planning an experiment that involves placing some electrical equipment in a mine for a year or more. Where the equipment will be placed in the mine (770m in depth,) the amient temperature will constantly be approximately 45C. I…
qftme
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Should I cool off in water the desoldered components?

I use a REGULAR (for home-use, not for electronics) hot air gun to desolder non-SMD components from PCBs. The components are really hot (naturally) after desoldering and it takes a while until they cool off. Is it better or worse if I cool then off…
Gabriel
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What are the efficiency limits of the Peltier effect?

I understand that thermoelectric coolers are perhaps a quarter as efficient as heat pumps. Why? What is the source of this efficiency limit? What would have to change for thermoelectric coolers to be more efficient?
Stephen Collings
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