GE Develops Next Generation Laptop Cooler

[Gahars]

I've just been getting into PC gaming, trying out Steam here and there, and the worst aspect so far has been my laptop's fan. It must be seriously out f shape, because anytime I try to run a game, it wheezes like nobody's business.

I guess you could say I'm just not a fan.

Anyway, it seems my anguished screams of pain have not been unheard. General Electric has responded with their own design, and let me just say, it's cooler than anything else on the market.

General Electric has unveiled what seems to be the thinnest, high-performance cooler for the next-generation of ultra-thin tablets and laptops (pictured above). While this cooler obviously allows for slimmer designs (or more space for other components), it also uses just half the power of a comparable fan, granting a significant boost to battery life. Oh, it’s almost silent, too.

...GE’s cooler is roughly the size and thickness of a credit card, but the press release states that the complete cooling solution (presumably including a heatsink/pipe) is 4mm. This is apparently 50% thinner than existing fan-based solutions, and obviously rather significant as we move towards tablets and laptops that are sub-8mm.

Perhaps most importantly, though, according to GE VP Chris Giovanniello, “DCJ can be made so quiet that users won’t even know it’s running.” This is partly because the tech is fundamentally different from a fan — there’s no blade whizzing through the air at thousands of RPM, and thus no buzzing or vibrations — but it’s also because DCJ supports verylocalized cooling. Instead of a complex heat pipe and fan assembly, GE suggests that you might instead have a bunch of smaller, more efficient DCJs directly attached to components that need cooling.

Extreme Tech

Fun fact: this was originally designed for commercial jet engines before being shrunken down to size. No wonder it's about to take flight.

While it's still a bit away, this is an encouraging development, allowing our technology to continue shrinking further and further. Plus, not having to worry about the whirring blades of fans piercing your gaming experience is a pretty awesome bonus, too.

Traditional producers of fans (or fannies, as I like to call them, because butts) should feel the chill in the next couple of years or so.

 

[FAST6191]

Though I do not hear of them as often as I hear of things set to revolutionise battery tech I do hear of things set to revolutionise cooling more than once in a while as well. That said GE do seem to be doing good work so who knows.

 

[BORTZ]

Well sweet. I kinda... uh. Indirectly work for GE. I work at a small machine shop and we get a lot of work farmed out to us. Nothing like this, but still, its cool.

Picture for anyone who cares Im a visual person.

 

[Foxi4]

The good:

• Very thin.
• Energy-efficient.

The bad:

• All the head "sucked up" by the device is immediately released right next to it.
• The air goes back and forth, so there's some distinct danger that the cooler will start blowing hot air rather than cool air.

The con's can be easily worked on, so all in all, pretty cool. Just by looking at it, I thought it's going to be some re-imagined Peltier cell, but no.

 

[MegaBassBX]

The good:

• Very thin.
• Energy-efficient.

The bad:

• All the head "sucked up" by the device is immediately released right next to it.
• The air goes back and forth, so there's some distinct danger that the cooler will start blowing hot air rather than cool air.

The con's can be easily worked on, so all in all, pretty cool. Just by looking at it, I thought it's going to be some re-imagined Peltier cell, but no.

I was thinking the same thing,the hot air will be released next to it , I think this new cooling system is really fast , because the only way to escape this problem is by increased speed.

 

[Foxi4]

I was thinking the same thing,the hot air will be released next to it , I think this new cooling system is really fast , because the only way to escape this problem is by increased speed.

As long as the airstream is directed at some kind of tubing that could lead it to the side or an opening in the external case, it's all good.

 

[notmeanymore]

How long until Dyson tries his hand at this problem?

 

[DinohScene]

I have but 1 question.

Metal fatigue?

 

[Foxi4]

I have but 1 question.

Metal fatigue?

It doesn't actually "bend" the metal enough to change its shape, so metal fatigue is the least of your problems. Think of it as of vibrating speaker membranes - the sheet of metal bends just about enough to suck air in, but not enough to be damaged in the process.

 

[Lanlan]

@Gahars Have you cleaned out your laptop's fans?

 

[shakirmoledina]

Well sweet. I kinda... uh. Indirectly work for GE. I work at a small machine shop and we get a lot of work farmed out to us. Nothing like this, but still, its cool.

Picture for anyone who cares Im a visual person.

Bortz, can you explain how it works fully?

 

[BORTZ]

Not even close lol, I do wiring, testing and automation of machinery, nothing like this.

 

[Foxi4]

Bortz, can you explain how it works fully?

I would assume it's a lot like an electromagnet - as electric current passes through the device, the two metal plates push each other away, when not, the metal returns to its original shape.

 

[DinohScene]

It doesn't actually "bend" the metal enough to change its shape, so metal fatigue is the least of your problems. Think of it as of vibrating speaker membranes - the sheet of metal bends just about enough to suck air in, but not enough to be damaged in the process.

Problem with speaker cones are that their usually made of rubbery thingies or paper, not metal ;p

 

[Jamstruth]

The good:

• Very thin.
• Energy-efficient.

The bad:

• All the head "sucked up" by the device is immediately released right next to it.
• The air goes back and forth, so there's some distinct danger that the cooler will start blowing hot air rather than cool air.

The con's can be easily worked on, so all in all, pretty cool. Just by looking at it, I thought it's going to be some re-imagined Peltier cell, but no.

The amount of air sucked in is so little that it's probably not noticeable. If its ejected fast enough it will put the hot air away from the area it sucks in from.
I like this idea. If they actually get to a consumer product I might try and buy one to stick in my laptop...

 

[Sterling]

Problem with speaker cones are that their usually made of rubbery thingies or paper, not metal ;p

These won't have the same amount of inflection. Most if not all metal has some natural resonance which allows them some leeway of movement that isn't bending. These aren't meant to be heard so really you only need a small amount of movement to get the heated air away. If you visualize metal vibrating with small ripples you'll find that's likely how this moves heat away.

This is pretty cool. It's noiseless so clients who complain that their laptop fan sounds like a lawnmower trying to take off I could offer to install one of these at a premium. Everyone wins.

 

[Janthran]

"Pictured above"
That looks weird in this post.

also lol'd at "(or fannies, as I like to call them, because butts)"

 

[thedicemaster]

@Gahars Have you cleaned out your laptop's fans?

not exactly an option for most people with some laptops.
I have to take out the motherboard to be able to clean the fan (specifically the area between the heatsink and the fan, where most dust gathers) because the cover is nowhere near the fan.

 

[triassic911]

not exactly an option for most people with some laptops.
I have to take out the motherboard to be able to clean the fan (specifically the area between the heatsink and the fan, where most dust gathers) because the cover is nowhere near the fan.

While you may try this at your own risk, I actually use compressed gas cans and blow through the vents for my own laptop. You'd be surprised how much dust comes right out after cleaning every 2 months or so.

 

[thedicemaster]

I've tried that, but there's just not enough strength left by the time the air reaches the dust.
Ideally laptop manufacturers should just make a small hatch/cover above the heatsink and fan.