Laptop Cooler From Old DVD Player

This summer my trusty TJ65 suddenly said goodbye to the cruel world and started shutting down every 20 minutes or so. I figured out it was an overheating issue. I browsed around to buy one of those fancy cooler pads than just gave up, not feeling like to give $50 for a PC fan in a box.

I decided to build my own, needless to say, for much cheaper.

What you will need (and probably have lying around):
- old desktop DVD player or something similar with a metal housing that fits under your laptop
- smaller CPU fan
- some usb cable (can be anything, we only need the plug)
-  electrical tape, glue, solder

Tools:
- small metal saw (or dremel if you are into that kind of thing)
- soldering iron
- knife, screwdriver

Step 1: Remove the Guts

I decided to leave only the power switch (why not), the power cord (we'll attach the usb dongle to this) and the scart socket in (because it would have left a needlessly large hole). Plus I glued back the plastic cover of the dvd tray and the buttons to give it a funky look...

Step 2: Cut a Hole for the Fan

Making your own cooler is good becasue you can decide where to put the fan so it matches the airflow of your laptop. Position wisely.

After cutting the hole I instantly managed to cut my finger with the edge... but it gave me an idea. I stripped some of the power cord and glued the isulation around the edge. This will keep the fan in place and it wont scratch the bottom of my laptop.

Step 3: Wiring

Using a multimeter check the dongle for the +5 volts. Then solder everything up. Use tape where necessary, then put everything back together.

Note: the USB port has only 5V at 500 milliamps... tha fan needs 12... the reason why this works is probably because the USB ports are prepaired for anything, but be careful not to short them. So far it didn't fry my motherboard.

Step 4: Finish Him!

Well, yes this is pretty much how it looks. You could paint it or put some LEDs in it, your choice. I like mine clean and raw :)