Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts - Gizmodo Comments

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Vagabum — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:15:43 EDT

Nice.

Cooler/more quiet laptops and hey, fresh, pure air around my desk.

Vagabum

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Vagabum — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:55:39 EDT

I'm pretty sure they have medication to clear up that corona discharge.

Vagabum

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

ViperBorg — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:16:06 EDT

@DWD: Also agree. Any way to put that baby in my current laptop?

ViperBorg

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Bokusatsu_Tenshi — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:20:54 EDT

I remember reading about yet-another-cooling-solution some months ago that involved capillary tubes, some antifreeze solution, and nano-engineering or something...

Sounded better than this one. But much like this one, it'll probably take some time to create a commercial product, if that ever happens..

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Seiven — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:39:53 EDT

bad ass, build one of these guys into a heatsink and put it on a laptop proc, cooler and quieter laptops...WOOT!

Seiven

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

macrumpton — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:54:48 EDT

I am no expert, but I seem to remember microchips run at less than 6 volts and to get corona discharge effects you need hundreds of volts. Also corona discharge is a static electricity effect, which is kind of scary next to a chip. They do not mention efficiency, but I suspect it is not too good, so laptop use is unlikely.
Still, no moving parts!

macrumpton

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Thrillcekr — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:37:11 EDT

By the time they actually work out the kinks and get them on the market at an affordable price they will probably no longer be needed.

Thrillcekr

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

dormantfrog — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:42:28 EDT

When i run my van de graff machine, its "ionic wind" causes all my usb devices to freak out (mouse shuts off, ups goes into backup mode, etc). so how does installing one in my machine help? isn't electrostatic discharge BAD for computer chips?

dormantfrog

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

cyborgtroy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:35:17 EDT

I was like, all right, better fans, no moving parts, silent minus the wind itself...

ionic breeze?

plasma?

ions?

CORONA DISCHARGE?

YOU'RE PUTTING FREAKING STATIC ELECTRICITY ON TOP OF MY PROCESSOR?!?!!?

Nay, within 2 feet of my computer at all??

GTFO

cyborgtroy

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

kd1s — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:34:29 EDT

Oh I want a retrofit kit for my Dell laptop. It currently sounds like a groaning jet engine.

kd1s

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

rimplestultskin — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:13:18 EDT

my CPU fan is whinier than a meth-addict bitch and a racing bike put together. silent fan FTW

rimplestultskin

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy! — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:51:35 EDT

@killthebabysitter: You are correct sir.

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

nidinp — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:11:42 EDT

@strider_mt2k: lol nice one

nidinp

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Elliuotatar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:34:53 EDT

Don't those ionic air purifiers actually create hazardous ozone?

Elliuotatar

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

gforce — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:31:33 EDT

@TonyTriple: Last time I checked, those mechanical fans used electric current to move air too.

gforce

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

strider_mt2k — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:06:56 EDT

Eww you got plasma discharge on your...and so on.

strider_mt2k

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

ryancmor17 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:04:16 EDT

Too bad you don't need cooling for a 25 watt processor.....

ryancmor17

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

killthebabysitter — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:19:04 EDT

@nutbastard: actually, moe says, " Whaaaaahhh...?!" he never finishes the word completely...as far as my simpsons/nerdology recollects. i may be wrong.

killthebabysitter

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

AndyDuncan — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:14:52 EDT

So, it doesn't really matter how fast I'm moving the air without knowing the volume of the air which I am moving at that speed. We need liters/min type information.

AndyDuncan

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

BoinK — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:06:25 EDT

I'm sure the engineers that made this thing were too damn stupid to think of all the problems you guys are coming up with...

BoinK

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

wizzledizzle — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:02:27 EDT

On the plus side creates ozone to help depleted regions, but negative for humans and animals because toxic.

wizzledizzle

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

teqsun.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:58:10 EDT

my frist thought is.... Flying saucers!

teqsun.com

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Bos'un's Mate — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:55:00 EDT

Bos'un's Mate

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Dillenger69 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:48:40 EDT

Don't these kinds of air movers create lots of ozone?
And isn't ozone bad for petroleum based plastics that many computers are made of?
They'd have to figure out a way to de-ozone the airflow to have it work near plastic parts for extended periods of time.

Dillenger69

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Nurow — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:40:50 EDT

from Wiki, "Inside electrical components such as transformers, capacitors, electric motors and generators. Corona progressively damages the insulation inside these devices, leading to premature equipment failure."

yeah that sounds like a great idea

Nurow

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

aec007 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:30:55 EDT

On the upshot, those case modders that use funky blue lights inside their cases and this Plasma Discharge fan will have no flyes or mosquitos in their cases....

BZZZZZZZ.... ZAP!.... BZZZZZ... ZAP!

LOL

aec007

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Bos'un's Mate — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:27:32 EDT

So when can I get my RSD5 embedded Mary Poppins umbrella?

Bos'un's Mate

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

allenjnl — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:20:42 EDT

Sounds like a great way to create electrical noise. Just what you want next to the microprocessor, an RF noise generator. Yawn, wake me when that's a good idea...

allenjnl

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

ackthbbft — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:08:53 EDT

@MagnoliaBoy: Exactly what crossed my mind! I wonder if you'll have to remove this to clean the dust off the fins.

ackthbbft

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

DWD — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:06:34 EDT

@Kaiser-Machead:
Agreed. All my hardware failures have been the result of fan failures.

DWD

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Ghede — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:05:18 EDT

@sonburn: Buy an ionic breeze. It is the same damn thing. XD

Ghede

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

sonburn — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:04:35 EDT

ok.... I want to know how big they can make this puppy. I could use a little carona wind on those hot days.

sonburn

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

matto — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:04:27 EDT

LOL Return of the Ionic Breeze

matto

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy! — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:03:07 EDT

As skeptical I might be about this, I'd love for this to be a possible next step, because mechanical failure of fans in laptops is a pain in the ass.

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

DWD — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:02:19 EDT

"plasma-generating live wires"...how much heat does the heat dissipater create?

So, this is the end to ceiling fans...or is the hole in this theory that it can move air at "2.7 meters per second" but only a tiny fraction of the "volume" as a regular fan?

DWD

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Gann — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:54:02 EDT

Doesn't the ionic breeze collect dust?

Gann

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

TonyTriple — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:46:13 EDT

electric current..i don't know...sounds like it might not be too energy efficient.

TonyTriple

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

FlipSwitch — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:45:46 EDT

So, would this thing collect dust?

FlipSwitch

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

Sleeper_Service — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:45:06 EDT

That is teh sex0rz!1!1!

Sleeper_Service

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

MagnoliaBoy — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:44:59 EDT

I thought Sharper Image went out of business. Ionic breeze leftovers I guess...

MagnoliaBoy

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

lafond66 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:44:14 EDT

Looks interesting, but how do you clean the dust off it? and could it cool as well if it were away from the processor connected via a heat pipe?

lafond66

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

EllenRose — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:43:49 EDT

Yes, electrostatics and a corona discharge are JUST what I want in my microelectronics.

EllenRose

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

the_sidewinder — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:43:20 EDT

I would love to have a couple of these in my laptop

the_sidewinder

Microchip-sized Solid State Fan Actively Cools Laptops With No Moving Parts

nutbastard — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:42:36 EDT

whooooowhhaaaaaat????

/moe

nutbastard