an idea i have

[Dan]

Ok, this is just something random I was thinking of while using my computer. Maybe it's more of a hardware forum thing, but how bout a stirling engine cooled laptop. The advantage of a stirling engine is that it can be powered by the heat differential generated by the laptop. This means that the hotter it gets, the faster the fan runs. It also means that the fan doesn't suck up any battery power. Thirdly, stirline engines run ultra quietly, that's why they are used on some military submarines. A stirling engine is just a mechanical device with some moving parts so it shouldn't be too hard to miniaturize.

For information on stirling engines you can read here:
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm

 

[Ryjalon10k]

Ok, this is just something random I was thinking of while using my computer. Maybe it's more of a hardware forum thing, but how bout a stirling engine cooled laptop. The advantage of a stirling engine is that it can be powered by the heat differential generated by the laptop. This means that the hotter it gets, the faster the fan runs. It also means that the fan doesn't suck up any battery power. Thirdly, stirline engines run ultra quietly, that's why they are used on some military submarines. A stirling engine is just a mechanical device with some moving parts so it shouldn't be too hard to miniaturize.

For information on stirling engines you can read here:
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm

that shit is way beyond me...LMFAO i have no idea what that means. maybe if i concentrated on what i was reading....

sounds like a good idea though. I hope it makes you money!

 

[FireCrack]

Well there are a few problems with this method such as

1. the engine would have to be quite big to make any noticable benefit

2. it would create inefficiencies in cooling

theres probably more effiiency with a pelt turned in reverse but it's more fun to run those forwards for most.

 

[Dan]

I don't see that it would have to be that big. The current fan in my laptop is about 6cm square. It should cool doubly, first because the fan brings in cool air/ pushes out hot air and secondly because the power source is the heat difference, so as it runs it will try to balance out the heat between the computer and the surroundings. There are novelty stirling engines that can run on the heat of your hand

http://www.stirlingengine.com/graphics/mm7_home.jpg

 

[Ranga]

This means that the hotter it gets, the faster the fan runs

But that logic is flawed. You say the hotter the comp runs, the faser the fan runs. The fan is running to cool the system down, so it will not allow for the system to get hotter, therefore you cannot get the fan to go faster than a certain point.

 

[Dan]

Well that's what you want, you don't want your computer to get hot. But if say, you're running a lot of intensive programs or watching a dvd or whatever, it's going to be pumping out more heat than if you're word processing. The fan is naturally going to lag behind this because it won't go faster when the rate of heating goes up, only when the actual heat goes up.
This is how most thermostats work these days, only using fuzzy logic systems in their computer. The further that your house gets from a certain temperature, the harder your air conditioner or furnace depending on the time of year will work to bring it back to the desired temperature.