Cooling a ADSL Modem Router without modification.

Have you ever noticed how hot a adsl modem can get? Yes it can get pretty hot and there is no in build cooling system other than a few ventilation slots on the casing itself. I am not sure whether it is true for most adsl modems, but I am sure of those that I had used before. I am not sure what is the max operating temperature for a adsl modem but operating at a pretty hot temperature is not a good sign.

I recently got myself a new adsl modem router after my old one had the misfortune of being fried by lightning. That one too runs pretty hot and so I had it hung in a way that it will get maximum exposure in the air, like hanging a wet blanket out to dry. It didn't work because there is no breeze because it is indoor and in a out of sight place. From my experience, a hot modem will cause the line to be disconnected by itself which can be very frustrating at times.

This new adsl modem router too runs pretty hot and this time I decided to do something about it with whatever I have available. This modem comes with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and so I cannot do any modification to it because it will void the warranty. Basing on this I decided on a external cooling fan to increase the air circulation outside the modem.

Checking through my collection of junks, I managed to gather together the necessary parts to put together the external cooling fan.  Some of the parts are almost 40 years old, the fan itself was saved from a pile of other items to be dismantled and

sold to the junk yard. The fan was taken out from a computer CPU because it was running intermittently with lots of noise ....... thought that it was going to kick the bucket then. Since I am building a proto-type and as long as it can work long enough to confirm my set up will work, it was OK for me. Then I thought maybe a little oil down the spindle might help, guess what, it is working perfectly right now, guess it must have been real thirsty after working for more than 4 years without a drink!

The rubber base is a must, without it the whole thing might just move around from the vibration of the fan. It is also to keep the whole contraption steady because the modem is going to sit right on top of it. The idea is to have the fan blowing from the bottom of the modem and leaving the top safe to operate the switches and wires. The rubber base will also keep the modem steady when handling the switches and wires.

Next is to connect the power supply for the fan to a DC power supply source since it is a DC powered fan. The AC to DC converter was taken out of retirement after it had faithfully served us 24/7 for many years powering a caller ID gadget for land line telephones. A tip here for connecting wires without having a lump in it. I guess the picture is self explantory.

Having the contraption assembled, it just did not look right with the fan so far down and with a some modifications got the fan to where I wanted it to be. The fan have to be closer to the modem so that it can enjoy the full blast of the
cooling air. It is not necessary to have it that tall, just about a centimeter above the base would be great and everything would be more stable. I did not want to cut the supporting screws and since it is stable enough for me I left it as it is. Next placed the modem where it is supposed to be and it is done. This modem have some ribs at the bottom and so it sits quite steadily on the contraption.
So far it had been running for about 3 weeks now and the modem is running at about just the room temperature and the warranty on it is 100% intact.