Suck

[Bones]

I have mounted two 120mm (5

[Stingray]

I have no idea. I only came in here because of the title. Dissapointment is something I'm going to have to learn to live with.

-S

[hnugz]

So in other words the bottom of the cabinet is open and the top blows air out?

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a bunch of dust in there.

[ahofle]

I have no idea. I only came in here because of the title. Dissapointment is something I'm going to have to learn to live with.

-S

LOL
Thx for making me spit coke on my keyboard.

[Bones]

So in other words the bottom of the cabinet is open and the top blows air out?

Yes the top and bottom are open, but the extraction fans are mounted somewhere in between. In the openings there is no direct extraction or exhaust system, it is more about letting nature doing its thing with hot air rising and cooler air entering the cab down lower.

[hnugz]

Yes the top and bottom are open, but the extraction fans are mounted somewhere in between. In the openings there is no direct extraction or exhaust system, it is more about letting nature doing its thing with hot air rising and cooler air entering the cab down lower.

Honestly with having both the top and bottom open I would be really surprised to see a noticeable temp difference between having the fans on and having them off.  If things are closed in, there is something to pull the air from.  when it is all open, it is pulling air from everywhere.

[missioncontrol]

I have no idea. I only came in here because of the title. Dissapointment is something I'm going to have to learn to live with.

-S

LOL
Thx for making me spit coke on my keyboard.

Caution neverdrink liquids and view a Stingray post

[Bones]

Honestly with having both the top and bottom open I would be really surprised to see a noticeable temp difference between having the fans on and having them off. If things are closed in, there is something to pull the air from. when it is all open, it is pulling air from everywhere.

It is not uncommon here for the temp to hit 105 in summer so keeping things as cool as possible became a high priority.

Even if the fans have little to no effect I think the added security is good for piece of mind!

[hnugz]

It is not uncommon here for the temp to hit 105 in summer so keeping things as cool as possible became a high priority.

Even if the fans have little to no effect I think the added security is good for piece of mind!

[Bumblebounces]

Are people installing filters around air inlets or just living with the normal dust build and performing regular cleaning maintenance?

I actually designed this function as part of my jukebox.  Except, I took another angle on it.  The fans are at the bottom of the cab drawing airflow down, with the filter at the top.  This is backwards as heat rises but I was thinking of all the times when the juke isn't running.  If the fans are at the top and not running, that leaves holes to allow dust to settle in through the fan vents.  By placing the fans at the bottom, drwaing air down through a filter (which is the entire top of the cab, by the way), it allows airflow for heat disapation while running and allows dust to settle on the filter when not running.  That keeps all the dust OUT of the cab.

Bumble

[mahuti]

Why not just have top fans and bottom fans that BOTH blow air out? It's not like they're going to create a vaccuum or something. Might just help keep the dust particles closer to the fans rather than depositing them on the components.

[quarterback]

Why not just have top fans and bottom fans that BOTH blow air out? It's not like they're going to create a vaccuum or something.

It could suck the monitor right into the cab!!!!!!!!

[nostrebor]

I have learned to hate the fans I have mounted to my Mame cabinet. They are noisy! Testing has shown little difference in temps in the cabinet, so I unplugged them.

YMMV

[Bones]

I have learned to hate the fans I have mounted to my Mame cabinet. They are noisy! Testing has shown little difference in temps in the cabinet, so I unplugged them.

Interesting.

As you may have read in my thread, my original plan was never to have them hence the open areas at the top and bottom of my original design. The addition of the fans at a later stage was mostly the result of fear, fear of baking my expensive monitor without them......

I may just run my own tests, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

[LPZ]

I am glad I don't have temp problems with my cab.  I keep my cab in the garage and 3 of the 4 wall are backfilled with dirt.  It's almost like a coal mine.  VERY cool in the summer and PRETTY darn warm in the winter(compared to the outside temp).  I have some extra 80-120mm fans lying around, but never had a reason to use them.

[DrewKaree]

I have a solution to your problem, so you can take those 2 fans back.  Remove the lower panel in the back of your cab.  Somehow, fashion a bracket to install the fan shown below.  This will take care of both your heat AND dust problems, and perhaps any frilly knick knacks the missus will have had lying around the house.

Payment may be rendered in cash only, and you're welcome.  My work here is done

[Ed_McCarron]

Since it looks like a wide notch acreoss the width of your cab thats the 'intake' , perhaps buy a large, home, forced air heat type filter.  The big, woven ones.  Shouldn't cost more than a buck or 3.

Cut to fit across the notches (inside) and hold in place with a few staples.

[SirPeale]

It's just something you're going to have to deal with.  General maintenance on your machines to keep them running okay.  Dust control is part of that.  Vacuum the machine out at least once a month under heavy use.  Less with less use, of course.

[nostrebor]

If you think about it, those monitors were designed to be enclosed in a cabinet/kiosk, sandwiched inbetween many other hot games, and run almost 24/7. Many arcades back in the day were not or poorly conditioned, and packed full of people. = HOT

I would imagine that the slot at the top and bottom of your monitor area is double the cooling area needed by design for that monitor, and you will be running the unit about 1/4 of the time it was intended to be run.

Still, testing is not going to hurt anything.

[DrewKaree]

If you think about it, those monitors were designed to be enclosed in a cabinet/kiosk, sandwiched inbetween many other hot games, and run almost 24/7. Many arcades back in the day were not or poorly conditioned, and packed full of people. = HOT

I gotta say I disagree with these words.  I think they tried to design as much cooling into them as possible, but they didn't put THAT much effort into it.  True, they WERE designed to be put into a cab/kiosk, but they ALSO had to design those enclosures with as little access to the innards as possible, lest some ass hat without his helmet that day decide to see if he could get something for free by tinkering with the innards.....ZZZTTTTZZZTTTT!

I think they put as much thought into designing heat control into the enclosures as they did to what color they'd make the thing.

We also have the added benefit of hindsight and being able to learn and improve on the heat control, so why not overengineer the thing to make OUR stuff last longer?  To an op, it'd suck to have something go down due to heat issues, but almost without a doubt, he'd have a replacement readily available.  We often have to come up with the cash to buy a replacement part, and in some cases, it'd take several weeks to get the cash and the part, so I say the heck with it.  Overengineer the snot out of it.  Throw a low-noise bathroom exhaust fan into the top of the thing! 

[nostrebor]

I think they put as much thought into designing heat control into the enclosures as they did to what color they'd make the thing.

 

Actually, this is my point. The monitors were coming off of lines for things other than arcade games back in the day. The monitor designers were not even sure of what application their units would be put into. With this in mind, the designers are forced to design for worst case scenario, or to standards handed down to them, which are usually quite strict. They were then put into a cabinet that was designed for security, as you stated, and cooling was an afterthought at best.

Bones cabinet has considerably more passive cooling allowance, than even the best of the industry cabinets. His monitor is brand new. It is also a product of 20 plus years of design for the industry, with many previous mistakes to help refine the design needs. This does not take into account the improved manufacturing processes for components and PCBs that have occurred in the last 20.

With all this in mind, mnay of the original monitors have lasted untouched, for over 20 years, without any particular care given to their needs. I would expect a modern home use monitor to last for many years based on the conditions the old industry monitors have withstood.

Of course, it wasn't my hard earned cash that bought it, so I still believe testing is in order.

[DrewKaree]

I think we can all see I didn't get that at all

 

[BobA]

If you turn your fans around so they blow into the cab they will be easy to put filters on.  Then the fan will pressurize the cab and minimal dirt should come in the existing openings.

[DrewKaree]

My fan suggestion should blow anything in, around, and through the cab

And as added incentive, Bones can have parties and tell all the women that skirts are the attire they are to come in, then have them play the cab.  It then becomes an even BETTER male entertainment center!  w00t!

[nostrebor]

Drew's new line of reasoning has caused me to reconsider my NO vote for fans on your arcade cabinet.

[DrewKaree]

Drew's new line of reasoning has caused me to reconsider my NO vote for fans on your arcade cabinet.

I think I may have inspired Stingray to add more fans too now!  Score!  He's gonna pass ME! 

[Stingray]

Drew's new line of reasoning has caused me to reconsider my NO vote for fans on your arcade cabinet.

I think I may have inspired Stingray to add more fans too now!  Score!  He's gonna pass ME! 

You have to be kidding. Fans? I just leave the back door off. You're a closet go-getter.

-S

[DrewKaree]

You have to be kidding. Fans? I just leave the back door off. You're a closet go-getter.

-S

Then you've actually prepped your cab for the fan I posted!  Stop throwing shiny objects in the other direction to distract everyone! 

Besides, if I come out of the closet, the RNC knocks on my door and takes back their card.

[Scott84]

Why not just have top fans and bottom fans that BOTH blow air out? It's not like they're going to create a vaccuum or something. Might just help keep the dust particles closer to the fans rather than depositing them on the components.

Its more effective to have cold air blown in.

[Kremmit]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article103-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/goto.php?t=s&id=108&a=1

[danny_galaga]

"It should suck, not blow"

- James Spangler, inventor of the electric vacuum cleaner.

[Lilwolf]

btw, I found that it was MUCH more efficeint to blow air right down on my processor.  I had a decent fan that can move air, that goes into some old plastic dryer duct (but I had to replace it with the flexable gutter accordian things... I don't think its as good).  And then place that right over the processor.

But that is the only thing I had real probles with heat... 

Then having good air slots at the top should do... heat rises... and it will continue up if its able to... I don't think you need to extra fans to draw it out... it should do it on its own (if enought slots that is).

[DrewKaree]

If Bones doesn't have a steady supplier of dry ice to use in cooling his machine, well then he's just a straight wanker.

End of story

[Ed_McCarron]

Just make sure noone flips the big switch that changes it from 'suck' to 'blow'.

[Orclord]

Just make sure noone flips the big switch that changes it from 'suck' to 'blow'.

Been looking for that switch on the GF.....

 

[elvis]

Avoiding dust is easy.  You need two things:

1) Positive pressure: ie: all airflow in is greater than all airflow out.  If you have negative air pressure (ie: a vacuum) then air starts creeping in from places you don't want.  Make sure to take into consideration dust filters when measuring airflow.

2) Dust filters.  Some fan manufacturers make nice snap-on dust filter gizmos that are easy to remove and clean when they get grubby.  If the fan isn't visible or you don't care about aesthetics, a thin cleaning cloth (we call them "chux" here) can be used as a great cheap disposable dust filter.

Put 1 and 2 together, and your cabs (or computers for that matter) will stay dust free.