Rostock Max V2 Chassis Cooling with 92mm Fans

[Russ]

Hi all,

I added two 92mm chassis fans to the right and left sides of the base. The motivation was simple: I accidentally disposed of the wood thumbscrew panels that are supposed to be mounted there, and I needed to replace the panels. That, and I love good cooling. Lesson learned. Again. Never throw anything away until the project is complete.

[img]https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/teth ... is_Fan.JPG[/img]

Note: This mod is for the Rostock Max V2 purchased in August, 2014. These parts are designed to fit the kit parts, and sometimes the kit parts will change over time (I can already see this in some screenshots of kits purchased since I purchased mine - the bottom base plate looks different). So watch the vid and check the pictures below to ensure that your chassis is the same as mine.

The parts needed for this mod depend on the type of power supply used.

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ATX Power Supply
The ATX power supply will pull air in from it's large fan and exhaust through the back and the fan controller may change speed depending on the load, which won't give a consistent airflow throughout the chassis. So some extra cooling can help, especially around the Rambo.

http://youtu.be/UBvzRWhBdHA Short vid on YouTube showing the parts

Parts List
1) 2 x printed fan mount. See the printing instructions below.
2) 2 x 92mm 12v fans. See the fan specs below. You may consider getting a third one if you are also doing my Rambo 92mm fan cooling mod.
3) Optional base top plate plug - to prevent air from being sucked down from under the bed, thus cooling it, which is bad. You can also just plug this hole with tape. I used Kapton tape until I made the plug. Also a good idea to wrap some tape around the small hole used to pass wires from the bed to the Rambo. Seal it good.
4) The plastic thumb-screws that came with the kit for mounting the side panels. My kit came with two of these screws per panel.

Download the .stl's and GeoMagic (Alibre) source files (all in one zip)
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/teth ... mm_ATX.zip

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Non-ATX Power supply
I switched out a defective ATX power supply for a dedicated 12v supply from my MendelMax. With the power supply fan exhausting within the chassis, the fans were definately needed. I find this to be a superior solution to the ATX. Straightforward wiring. A bit tight in the base, but doable. You'll need to deal with a power switch, but I just hardwired a power cord to it and use a powerbar for the power switch. The power supply has a form factor like this http://www.amazon.com/Meanwell-Switchin ... anwell+30a which is a pretty good one. Mine was from eBay, not so nice, but functional.

http://youtu.be/P3icFUYB52w Short vid on YouTube showing the parts

Parts List
1) 2 x printed fan mount. See the printing instructions below.
2) 2 x 92mm fans. See the fan specs below. You may consider getting a third one if you are also doing my Rambo 92mm fan cooling mod.
3) Optional plugs - to help control airflow within the base. You can also tape over the holes. If you don't put in the plugs or tape the holes, the air will just come in from the bottom, ignore the Rambo and go directly to the 92mm fans. The Z stepper plug will also attempt to funnel some air up towards the stepper. These plugs fit tightly and should snap into place. Try printing one of them, and see how it goes before doing the entire set.
4) The plastic thumb-screws that came with the kit for mounting the side panels. My kit came with two of these screws per panel.

Download the .stl's and GeoMagic (Alibre) source files (all in one zip)
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/teth ... ON-ATX.zip

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The Fan Mount
1) Print this flat on the bed with the insets for the chassis captive support nuts (the little squares) upwards. PLA or ABS is fine. I did mine in PLA since there is less shrinkage and I figured the holes would line up better. You can print this on the Max V2 and it fits fine on the build plate.
2) It's going to fit snugly against the chassis frame, so you may need to do some sanding. Mine didn't, but your mileage may vary.
3) It's kind of flimsy, but will be quite solid in the right places when you mount the fan to it.
4) The fan should be oriented so that it will blow outward (it should suck the warm air out of the chassis).
5) It doesn't come with a fan shroud to protect fingers, but you can find these online and print them, or get metal grills for a dollar or two each. I left the grills off, though I might come to regret that.

The Fans
I opted for a quiet PC chassis cooling fan here http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX50790. There's lots of good and quiet fans out there for cheap. These were approx $10 USD each. Make sure the fan comes with mounting screws. This one also came with optional rubber mounting pins, but they really weren't necessary as there is minimal vibration. Get a fan with three wires, but you will only use two of these wires. One of the three wires is for sensing the rpm by a PC motherboard, which isn't needed for our purposes, so I just clipped it back. Make sure you get 12v fans since you can run them direct from the ATX or 12v power supply. That way the fans run whenever the power is switched on. It is surprisingly quiet when both fans are on.

Installation
1) Connect the fans to the power supply.
2) Attach the fans to the mount and then attach the mount to the chassis. Make sure they blow outward.
3) Leave the front two plexiglass fittings off and start up the fans. Note the strength of the airflow near the fans (watch your fingers as there are likely no grills on the fans ).
4) Put the two plexiglass fittings back on. Not the strength of the airflow again. It should be a bit less than before. That is just fine.
5) That's it! Your fans are now ready.

I'll post my 92mm Rambo Cooling Mod which plugs into that last base bottom panel plug we left open. A very cool Rambo indeed.

Hope that helps!