I wanted to share a little project I put together that I think my fellow nerds will appreciate. In Florida, when you're relaxing in the pool or hot tub, you usually want to soak up the sun, not sit under an umbrella. But the problem is, electronics overheat quickly in direct sunlight.
I like to have my phone with me and listen to music on a portable Alexa speaker, but unless they're in the shade, they can easily get too hot. So I built a small air-conditioned box to keep everything cool while still enjoying the outdoors.
The box has intake and exhaust fans. They're just basic PC cooling fans powered by a rechargeable power bank. There's no interior grate, so you have to be a little careful with your fingers, but the fans don't spin very fast. Once powered on, the fans keep the inside cool enough for sensitive devices.
Inside the box, there's space for the Alexa speaker, with a small hole to let the sound out, and a wireless charging pad where you can rest your phone. The entire setup is solar powered. You just twist open the top panel and unfold it to reveal a solar panel for recharging the power bank.
I also added a small clip-on fan for extra airflow on really hot days. It connects directly to the power bank and runs alongside the internal cooling system.
This is actually version 2.0 of the idea. The first version was just a little stand, basically a lap tray with Velcro to hold things in place. It wasn't very stable, especially when the dogs bumped into it, and it lacked proper cooling. This new version in a box is much sturdier and does a much better job of keeping everything cool.
Just something fun I put together and thought you might enjoy hearing about.
Once in a while I like a little electronics project to do something with my hands. I kind of miss building computers back in the old days. It's not like that anymore. Not to mention that all of my new computers have been laptops for the past 10 years or so. I miss getting in there and tinkering with stuff with my hands, but I don't miss constantly cutting my knuckles on the sharp edges of computer cases. That was always fun. And as time went on, the cases got smaller, and smaller... and smaller. I miss those good old full-tower cases. Lots of room in those bad boys.
Of course, whenever friends and family ask me if I can fix their computer now, I'm like, "Nope. If it involves a screwdriver or more, I don't touch it." LOL. In fact, when people ask me what I do, I stopped telling them that I teach computers because they always want to ask me questions about computers. So I get very specific on them now. I teach Microsoft Access Database Development, and they're just like, "Oh, okay, that's cool." LOL
I can only imagine how doctors and lawyers feel... everyone always wanting to pick their brains for free.
Matt Hall
@Reply 40 days ago
Very nice. It is always fun to see other people's projects.
I am not very handy with my hands (lol) but I know just enough to be dangerous with power tools, having been a homeowner since I was 24 years old. Being more of a programmer and a software guy myself, once in a while I like to get my hands involved in something like this. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who look at this and laugh because they work in a machine shop or do actual real fabrication. But for a software nerd like me, this was a pretty fun project.
Matt Hall
@Reply 40 days ago
You saw a need, devised a solution, and had the gumption to try to make it happen, twice. That's the magic. Getting good with your hands is a little guidance and a lot of practice. Never sweat the "not handy" part. Three years ago, I wasn't very handy with access... :)
I bought one of those infrared laser thermometers a few years ago to see where the leaks were in my insulation. Next hot day we have, I'm going to bring that box outside and see if I can get some accurate readings on what the temperature inside the box is vs. outside.
Oh, I could put a cup of ice on the outside of the box by the intake. That's a good idea.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 40 days ago
I was expecting a true "a/c" unit! Don't they make a chip that somehow cools? I've wanted to play with one for years.
I made a little box, for my karting, to have a bigger battery to power the infrared lights that trigger the lap sensor. My son asked what it was, and I said in a voice just loud enough for some of my unsophisticated neighbors to hear, "It's a portable cancer light emitter that triggers when the music from someone's house gets too loud." Now when I put it out on the porch, the barrio goes nice and quiet.
Apparently they do make chips that cool. I was unaware of that.
From GPT...
Yes, they do make chips that cool - these are typically thermoelectric coolers, often referred to as Peltier devices or Peltier modules.
Here's what you need to know:
What it is: A Peltier device is a solid-state chip that transfers heat from one side to the other when electricity is applied. One side gets cold, and the other side gets hot.
How it's used:
Small-scale refrigeration (mini coolers, USB beverage coolers)
Electronics cooling (CPUs, GPUs, or laser diodes)
Portable medical or lab equipment where space is limited
Limitations:
Not very energy-efficient
Can produce a lot of heat on the hot side, which must be dissipated with a heat sink or fan
Best for localized cooling, not large-scale refrigeration
If you're asking whether a "chip that cools itself" exists, the answer is a bit more complex. Most modern chips rely on passive or active cooling systems (like heatsinks or fans), but some experimental technologies use embedded microfluidic channels or integrated thermoelectric layers to manage heat more directly.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 39 days ago
See! We await version 3 of the Nerdy Pool Box.
If you've got a small motorcycle type maintenance charger lying around, with a small motorcycle battery that thing might run for hours between overnight charges. Enough time to get a healthy dose of true cancer-causing rays.
With some correct positioning, pop open the box for that next beer without having to run inside.
Matt Hall
@Reply 39 days ago
This is based on the Seebeck effect, which is the basis for the thermocouple. The neatest parts if the technology are the simplicity and the the reversibility. You can build one yourself, with thermocouple wire, to demonstrate the principle. You can also apply a heat differential to get electricity out. Off grid oil rigs used this technology - in reverse - to power their controls from the heat of the flare stack.
We built one in our maintenance shop to demonstrate the principle for one of the guys with about 75 junctions and were able to generate about 9 volts open circuit and also slowly run a 1 hp DC motor. (Nowhere near 1 HP was generated. It was just enough to spin the motor at about 100 rpm without load.) We used a propane torch to create the heat differential.
Going left to right on work bench #3, the 55-year-old shock box, need to find some D batteries and see if it still works; The 12v battery maintenance unit; and the "cancer generator" that the neighborhood now fears.
There wasn't an instrument to test the voltage output of the shock box, but the 4-H leader estimated 50kv, enough to draw a small arc. On the back of the cancer generator are two screws fused to the battery for easy recharging negating the need to open the stuffed box.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 39 days ago
Matt Isn't this the same principle used in the home oven and water heater pilot lights?
Matt Hall
@Reply 39 days ago
Yes, it is.
Michael Olgren
@Reply 38 days ago
Richard I just wanted to give you one doctor's perspective-- I don't mind people asking me medical questions "for free." I believe God put me on this Earth (and kept me alive so far) to help people. Like you, I enjoy helping people, so I don't perceive medical questions as a bother. Most friends/acquaintances/family are respectful and start out with "Sorry to bother you, but..." I love medicine. I retired because I do NOT love government regulation, insurance company obstruction, and corporate bureaucracy.
Thomas Gonder
@Reply 38 days ago
Hey doc, sorry to bother you, but I got this ...
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