Raspberry Pi 3: Fan and Cooling Tests

[@macmullen]

Amazing DIY skills! The whole idea for the base and the plastic for the fan are such great ideas.

[@joshposh70]

Chances are, that fan draws more power than the Raspberry Pi itself.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Joshyy Indeed! :)

[@maximilianmoser6880]

Can this harm the PI?

[@TakuyaKousaka]

+Zynoz of course not.

[@maximilianmoser6880]

+Takuya Kousaka ok Thank you for the quick answer :D

[@joeyplays9443]

I did look it up the other day and found that they are making fans specifically for the Pi now.

[@LMacNeill]

Very clearly, one needs an active heatsink if one wishes to have a long-lived Raspberry Pi. Yes, it will run fine with no heatsink at all, but running it at its maximum temperature is just not a good way to keep the CPU in good health. Thanks for this video -- an excellent demonstration, and I think everyone who owns a Pi should see it.

[@hartoz]

Thanks ;-) You can use Pins 4 and 6 instead of 2 and 6, that way off the shelf fans with a 2 pin plug will fit straight onto the GPIO header. Im using a little 20mm high speed fan DC 5V 0.2A which works extremely well. Although it is a little louder than a bigger fan as it rotates at a great speed.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Yeah hartoz, I use pins 4 & 6 with a high speed fan too. Great tip ;-)

[@Skondal1942]

Cant stop watch your incredible good videos looking forward for next.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. :)

[@Xolonogamer]

I also wish you the best as you're nearing 100k subs. Been watching you for a while. Keep up the good vids!

[@StanLTU]

Great videos. Your work inspired me to start working on quadracopter project base on PI3

[@Frank_2023]

Another cool video :) My Pi 2B came with a fan and heat sink set, but I like how you used an old fan and put to new use, creative case for it too :) looking fwd to your next Video :)

[@p504504]

Genius idea with the soap tube

[@goncalotomas5659]

Can't wait for the extreme passive cooling!

[@Skelpolu]

Really looking forward to seeing the follow-up with the extreme passive solutions - Great video! The more you make videos about the Rasperberry Pi 3, the more I want to get involved with it. I might get one myself, considering it's below 50€ with the B model.

[@fuppetti]

This is like a Blue Peter episode on how to make a Pi cooler :P

[@clangerbasher]

+Deltaexio I was half expecting the one he made earlier too........ :)

[@fuppetti]

ZPower Gaming I deleted it, don't worry.

[@RimWulf]

I don't know if dies it deliberately but he's funny I enjoy watching him, making it easier learning about computers.

[@RimWulf]

"does" not "dies"

[@VuRa001]

I'm new in Raspberry´s world and your videos help me a lot!!! thanks

[@tttc]

0:50 !!! Zalman CNPS9700 on the left there! Great CPU cooler! I've had mine for almost ten years!

[@rdrack8693]

those things never die lol, i still have a stock intel 2004 125w cooler from a "preshot" it works extremely nice on my 65w cpu

[@SHENZHENYOFOLONELECTRONICCOLTD]

Very good video, the fan have the best airflow and noise balance is important.

[@hisgr8nessmadzak]

nice video cant wait to see the extreme passive cooling!

[@kavishgour3267]

My favourite channel :D keep up the good work !

[@josephkreifelsii6596]

The CPU fans are usually 12v... How do we power that with a 3.3/5v GPIOs on the Raspberry Pi? I've heard that Transistor can be used to do it. Are transistors a google place to get started?

[@MrMoonpie001]

Chris, interesting results, this test is important for me to see as the Pi mabe a critical part of the internet of things going forward. Thanks for all you do! Rich

[@The_Last_Post]

Great to see you modding the Pi! Is there anyway it can be used as a control for a NAS setup? Love your sense of humour btw :)

[@dynamichunter843]

I like the little fan case construction :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

+DynamicHunter It surprised me how well it came out! :) Sometimes things just work.

[@KowboyUSA]

That IDE adapter/power supply is really cool. I need one, or a half dozen, of those.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+John Ratko It remains an extremely useful piece of kit on all manner of occasions! :)

[@HALEdigitalARTS]

Glad to see your 2nd fan was off center. Think there may be a dead zone directly under the hub. Wondering if that would make a difference?

[@AutomateX]

nice video and your creativity for making case for holders

[@otter-pro]

Great video. I'm not comfortable with pi running at 80'c , and any cooling will ease my mind, especially when running the pi 24/7. However, I'm also concerned about the fan noise, so hopefully the 5v fan will be quiet enough.

[@weedfreer]

How would i take this and scale it up such that I could control 2 x 120mm fans and understand their speed...but trigger it using an array of temperature sensors?

[@shimtest]

your idle temperature seems high. I run mine topped out and it only gets to 32 C. Are you overclocking?

[@ExplainingComputers]

No, no overclocking here.

[@zanderi]

Chris thank you for the video, very well done. Do you think there is need for a diode or MOV to prevent current from going back into the pi from the motor? If so how would you recommend doing that?

[@ExplainingComputers]

This should not be a problem, as the power is taken from the 5V line, which is before the Pi's own voltage regulator (it just taps the USB 5V+ input).

[@zanderi]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@LuisMercadoorg]

Professor, really loving (not a hyperbole) the DIY solution you did for the fan mounting. Now that's punk computing! Please, consider on doing more videos with DIY solutions. I'm willing to bet that with a shim of copper, some drops of thermal paste and your fan solution the Pi 3 CPU could be kept under 40, even 35 °. Looking forward your extreme cooling video.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Luis Mercado Thanks. I imagine you are right about cooling potential with copper. :)

[@raysrcsandtech]

Great video, Is that the same as using pins 4 and 6 as I was doing that with a small 30mm fan, should I have been using pin 2? Do you have the fan pushing or pulling the air?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Rays RCs It is pushing air. Using pin 2 would be safer for the Pi. :)

[@raysrcsandtech]

Thank you for the reply shall start using pin 2

[@Crux161]

I was able to setup a couple copper plates (about the size of the SoC) and applied thermal paste between each of the layers until it met with a laptop cooler (using a heat pipe, and fins that attach to a vent, which is then fitted to exit through a fan). This setup works very well indeed for over-clocking the system. It just recruited a little work to make a case which would securely hold the fan and heatsink in place with stand-offs for the pi board itself.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Crux161 Excellent! :)

[@coolpsycho1]

Hats off to ur talent, salute

[@drepixstudios6848]

digging that new intro

[@AutomateX]

what if cfm and rpm of the fan is high?will it give effective cooling?what is your current rating of fan? -thanks

[@zephyfoxy]

Good to know that you can indeed use the GPIO pins to power the fan. Very useful. Shouldn't be too hard to find a small, 5V+ fan somewhere. Perhaps I could even modify the existing case I have for my Pi, and just cut a hole for the fan to sit, and hot-glue it in place.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Zepher Tensho A hole and hot-glue sounds like a good solution to me! :)

[@diogobarros6332]

I love your work. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. :)

[@sergeypokrovski3240]

Love your creative solutions.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Great video tutorial, mate. Just what size is the gigantic heatsink you used in the Extreme Passive Cooling video? I'd like to get one to put onto my PI 3.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. The heatsink is about 34mm square.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Thanks for the quick reply. Now I've got to get some 3mm copper and a gigantic 34mm heatsink. I believe you used some sort of thin plastic sheet to fit between the copper and the heatsink. What did you use? And did you use any heat paste between the copper and the plastic sheet?

[@hueyj1975]

Another Awsome vid btw that fan is HUGE

[@brucesabu]

Does not the fan damage Raspberry p?i I read many article that warns the direct connection of fan into the GPIO on raspberry pi because the GPIO normally provides 20mA whereas cooling fan requires more.

[@ExplainingComputers]

You are right that the GPIO pins cannot and should not be used to power a fan. But I am not here powering a fan a GPIO I/O pin! :) Rather, I am powering it from the 5V pin that feeds directly from the 5V input to the Pi (ie it takes power before the Pi's voltage regulator, so it is safe to draw more power than that regulated output can supply).

[@brucesabu]

ExplainingComputers Yeah, fan draws the ower from 5V pin in Rasberry pi. However it would be risky because the power consumed by the fan occupies the power to Raspberry pi, i. e, Raspberry pi requires larger than 500mA so that it would be possible Rpi cannot the mimimum powrt from the Adapter if the capacity of the adapter is limiter like 5V 1.5A where fac consumes 1A more

[@ExplainingComputers]

The only risk is that the Pi will not get enough power as you say, so could become unstable, which could I guess result in SD card corruption following a crash. However, there is no risk of hardware damage, as the fan is never drawing power through a GPIO output pin and the Pi's voltage regulator. Clearly the power supply needs to be correctly rated -- the "official" Pi PSUs are now 2A. :)

[@tednoob]

How much does the pi's performance degrade at 80°C? What gain, besides perhaps pi lifetime, is there from the active cooling? Did the performance tests go faster with the cooling?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Anton Johansson The tests an at the same speed, as with the heatsink alone the Pi 3 was just under its throttelling temperature. So the benefit here is board lifetime as you note. Though this could be a considerable benefit! :)

[@zachdavis5854]

Great video I love your pi videos do you think that single board computers will ever be able to compete with regular pc's or even a small NUC build.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Zach Davis Thanks for your kind feedback. For some purposes -- such as basic office work, e-mail, etc -- single board computers can already compete. Checkout my "Raspberry Pi as Only PC" video. :)

[@penguingulp]

With RAM being so abundant these days, with some builds having almost hard drive levels of storage in RAM alone, I was wondering if an OS could be installed in RAM. From what I understand each reboot would wipe it, but would it be possible to load up a really fast windows on it for example? Do you think this is possible and if so how would you go about doing it?

[@sudhirbrahma]

Very useful- thanks. Saves a lot of experimentation

[@tehhaldiniho]

i think it looks well nifty! great video.

[@bigsmile542]

good video. I also like to use junk parts in my projects.

[@konradstrachan]

I love the DIY! But I'm not sure you cooled the CPU heatsink as efficiently as you could have. It looks like the central cylinder that houses the fan bearings was right above the heatsink. I wonder if this would create a deadzone of minimal air movement directly under the centre of the fan? Actively cooled heatsinks move air across the heatsink, however given the large deadzone of the fan coupled with the tiny heatsink means that any cooling effect is dramatically reduced I think? I'd be curious what happens if you move the fan off-centre a bit to see if that makes a difference. That said, great video. I enjoyed watching it :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Konrad Strachan The centre of the fan was offset. :)

[@Enos666]

I love you man, I've been looking for practical solutions for cooling the pi 3, there seem to be a few 25mm fans and such, any idea how loud these will be? also how loud was that 40mm fan you used?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Enos666 Thanks! :) The 40mm fan is pretty quiet -- nothing like a normal desktop. I could not hear it from a few yards/metres away. A 25mm fan capable of the same airflow would be far more noisy.

[@Enos666]

Awesome, looking forward to the larger passive heat sink tests later, if theres a reasonably sized passive heatsink I will be more than willing to forego a fan altogether if it all runs smoothly, thanks for all the videos.

[@gristlevonraben]

great video. you make it easy to create a cooling system, thank you.

[@twilmer34]

does the fan actually move some air through the heatsink? the sink is exactly in the middle and I expect all air to go to the sides. it would be sure better mount it asymmetrically...

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Thorsten Wilmer The fan is offset to one side of the centre of the heatsink, so I think the airflow is pretty good. This is by accident rather than design, as I had little choice exactly where the fan was positioned.

[@calmarcalmar]

awesome thank!. but yeah how much watt or A does the fan use?

[@c.gerdes-wocken]

Very good videos! I did your test.script with my own Pi3 v1.2 and your results are very reliable! I used a small aluminium Heatsink very similar to yours, but I milled the bottom flat and sandblasted the top. Used liquid heatglue. At an ambientetemperatur of 20°C I got the following results: 40.8 67.7 74.1 77.4 79.5 80.1 Than I added a fan and let the Pi cool down propperly, I used a Sunon MB40101V2-000U-A99 Results were: 30.6 47.2 47.8 47.2 47.2 47.2 wich is pretty silmilar to your results and shows, that your test is reproducable! Was fun to learn these things! Best Regards, Christian

[@ExplainingComputers]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing this. :)

[@salvadorgarcia9357]

Hi! how can I control the fan with a GPIO? I mean, insteed to conect the Pi to " ground and 5v", conect it to "Ground and a GPIO(for instance '17'" Thanks

[@ExplainingComputers]

You cannot connect a fan directly to a GPIO pin (well, you can, but you won't have a working Raspberry pi for very long). GPIO pins supply a few hundred milliamps maximum at 3.3v, so connecting something like a fan (ie motor) to them will draw far too much power and damage the Pi. Pins 2 and 4 on the Pi, which I connect the fan to here, supply 5V **before power enters the Pi's voltage regulator** -- ie they tap the power directly from the micro USB power in. To control a fan via a GPIO output you would need to use some kind of motor controller.

[@salvadorgarcia9357]

Thanks, at the end I have conect a 2 Relay module and the fan to one of the exit. But I needed to import and write this: import RPi.GPIO as GPIO GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) pin = 3 GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.output(pin,True) And now, I have a DOUBT. When I write "GPIO.output(pin,True)" the GPIO has not signal and the fan does not work. But if I write "GPIO.output(pin,False)" the GPIO has signal and the fan works. it should not be the opposite? Thanks in advanced for your information.

[@ExplainingComputers]

It will depend on which way around things are connected to the delay module! I would not worry.

[@paulclooney3531]

love you're videos great work

[@bluehornet6752]

I really have no idea why your videos get "dislikes." These are really very good--other than that you can't seem to tell the difference between a screw and a nut, lol... ;)

[@ExplainingComputers]

My brain ceases up when talking on camera on occasion! :)

[@bluehornet6752]

Mine too. No worries--great channel. I've definitely subscribed.

[@Vampier]

fan-tastic ;)

[@ExplainingComputers]

+VampierMSX Cool. :)

[@themrenerd7384]

+ExplainingComputers That is a very "cool" project.

[@yourick1953]

+VampierMSX Badum tss

[@intergalactic_space_hotdog5850]

VampierMSX lol

[@baronajosesek]

Im just curious but what happend if u put a fan underneath de pi? Would it be cooler?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Jose Barona The CPU is on the top, with the heatsink on top of that. The role of the fan is to move air over the heatsink on the CPU.

[@baronajosesek]

ooh ok :) thanks

[@popculture70]

Love all your videos, sir :)

[@jjindk1655]

I find on some webshops they have two versions: a Raspberry Pi 3 Element 14 and RS components version. What's the difference btw them??

[@ExplainingComputers]

No difference. Though they may come in a different box.

[@ApastronRetro]

Question. Is it better to pull air out of the computer or push air in? Has been an interesting debate on this.

[@ExplainingComputers]

If at all possible, a CPU fan should blow down. In a PC case, there should be a fan that pushes warm air out, and ideally another to such cool air in.

[@Erntzn]

Great videos, very easy to follow. I was wondering, if I have a 5v usb LED strip, could I run it of the gpio's?

[@Skelpolu]

Hey there! How would you go about adding a fan to the Pi 3 using just the Pi itself as the powersource, maybe even adding PWM to dynamically cool the system?

[@ExplainingComputers]

The Pi here is the power source. :)

[@Skelpolu]

Strange, it is indeed! I've seen this video a couple of times now and forgot that you're adding a self-powered pi-fan after the first fan-test. Sorry about that, and thanks for the reply! Since then, I've actually been using a fan rated for a max of 12v, and a minimum of 7v - yet, it turns on and is powerful enough for my uses. I won't damage the pi, nor the fan by underpowering the fan, or am I running risks here?

[@Skelpolu]

By the way, in my case I've also hacked away on a pre-made clear-plastic-case, however, I am using foam and glue to secure the fan in order to minimize vibration-noise. Currently drying up!

[@retrodave9707]

thanks for the video. you always have good information on technical things. but do you have a video on auto active fan setup with raspberry pi, that auto run from the temperature of the pi?? thanks

[@myFORCEDchannelthing]

Brilliant work.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

Anyone know how to get a noisy fan quieter on the Pi, is there anyway I can control it/stop it? someone please answer.

[@dylancoulbeck7483]

Like your video, subbed! question, can I use gpio pins 4 and 6 for a fan? thanks! :) This is for the pi 3

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, pin 4 also supplies 5V pre voltage regulator.

[@AlejandroSanchezz]

Congrats dude great job :)

[@etmax1]

Great 3D rendering of the Pi 3 you have in your intro, is that a step file? If so, could you provide a link to it?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+etmax1 Many thanks. It was modelled and rendered in LightWave.

[@etmax1]

ExplainingComputers You're very welcome

[@LewisRyanPiano]

Im planning on using a pi 3 as a small web server. Do you think I will need a fan?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Lewis Ryan Not unless it becomes a very busy server, and/or you live in a hot climate. But do make sure than any case is well ventilated.

[@LewisRyanPiano]

+ExplainingComputers Great! Thanks for the reply! :)

[@dragoncoders7267]

I want to run 4-5 pis at 100% cpu. My plan was to have my large desk fan beside them all. Surely this would be adequate, despite not aesthetically pleasing?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Dragon Coders You will have to try it! I would imagine at least small heatsinks will be needed to increase the surface area onto which the fans will blow.

[@mamatalu]

What about using USB driven fan with goose neck. You can bend it towards the heat sink. It won't require any additional power connections.

[@lee99bay]

Awesome :) great tests thanks.

[@klosterdev]

I'd love to see a video where you also put a heatsink on the memory chip on the bottom and LAN chip and test out various overclocking settings with and without the fan. I know that OC support for the 3 isn't official at this point, but people have been doing it anyway for stuff like RetroPIE to get N64 emulators running smoothly.

[@charliemcgrath2630]

should i be getting heatsink for my pi 3?

[@Meow_YT]

Wouldn't the small heatsink with a channelled/shaped funnel, fan, piping all the air directly onto the heatsink, work better? Gets the air flow up by forcing the air into a smaller space, so forces the hot air out of the way faster and forces a larger volume of cooler air over the heatsink. Instead of a heatsink that isn't directly placed over, in full-contact with, the CPU?

[@ExplainingComputers]

+james chatterton Certainly you are correct! :)

[@emeryz10]

Is there a way to control fan speed based on work load as needed?

[@GainingDespair]

The temps between the two fans are virtually identical in the grand scheme. This makes me wonder is the chip's heatsink reached it's equilibrium in regards to thermal dissipation.

[@ExplainingComputers]

You are almost certainly correct. :)

[@KingJellyfishII]

You use dir instead of ls? ls is good because it changes the colour of files depending on their type

[@Mikessv1]

where did you get the case and fan from?

[@benconrad7093]

Great video!

[@RustemYeleussinov]

Thank you for the video. Very useful and informative. I am going to buy and make the RP3 as my home server (or HTPC) with following software running 24/7 on top of Ubuntu Desktop + USB HDD with its own power supply: Kodi, FTP server, Calibri server, Webmin, PLEX server, Subsonic, Pydio, Bittorrent Sync. Should I consider installing fan for my setup? Thank you for reply.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Rustem Yeleussinov You should not need a fan.

[@naveen3406]

Nice case around your PI so have a PIE and enjoy your PI with some Multimedia..thanks for the knowledge..:)

[@LJH08Ralith]

Nice results... just wish they had a pre made case/fan combo rather than DIY but I guess I'll have to grab a 5v fan and try it out!

[@ExplainingComputers]

+LJH08Ralith I would imagine that demand will soon create supply!

[@benverdel3073]

I can't believe I'm the only one having the fan (5V 20mm over the standard little heatsink) connected to the 3.3V. It's absolutely silent and doesn't seem to destabilize the PI. Tmax 57°C when stress-tested.

[@JCRMatos]

Could you do a test comparison of active cooling with and without a heat sink?

[@maskiatlan]

could you run a test on Pi3 how it handles BOINC running SETI@home? I want to make a small cluster but wonder what is the performance and heat load? thnx. best regards from Croatia!

[@maskiatlan]

***** no, it's all voluntary. you can run it when your computer is idle, but some run it full time as a a hobby and to help scientific projects.

[@typematrix5038]

Raspberry pi temperature monitor software, TWIC : github.com/gavinlyonsrepo/raspberrypi_tempmon

[@markjfannon]

I would have never expected that you could fit a fan to an RPi

[@matt326]

u should try overclocking with this

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Gaming Ace Yes, I must try that! :)

[@matt326]

:-)

[@w.rustylane5650]

I just realised what colon, dash, end paranthesis mean. It's a smiley face turned sideways! I could never figure that one out until just now, duh!

[@gristlevonraben]

duh? you think that's bad, it took me 40 years to realize the "When it rains it pours" Morton salt advertisement was not only about the salt not clumping up from moisture in the home, but was a play on words of the wisdom saying about things getting worse and worse, sometimes, "It never rains but it pours..." That was a super duh moment. ;-) wink wink.

[@Prouser123]

A fan on a pi? Cool!

[@mickgibson370]

I have Pi2 massed overclocking and I have a cut down heat sink with natural cooling with a case and the heat sink sticks out 35 mm. It temperature is 30.4'C. I have pic of it but there is no adding pics.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+mickgibson Wow, 30.4 is impressive for an overclocked Pi2 that is working hard. :)

[@leongt1954]

All my old Pentium CPU fans were 12v but luckily I was able to find a 30mm 5v fan at my local parts store

[@thespaceunicorn6180]

Very nice video

[@DarkAvatar1313]

In the future you should do tests with the PI in an enclosure to see if there is an impact in temperature as well.

[@ChadKenova]

Nice video i love to tinker with stuff myself, I've always wanted a pi but they've been to underpowered until now. I was thinking of buying one for kodi in my bedroom, i have a shield tv for kodi in my living room.

[@mrsvcd]

Wouldn't a better placment of the fan be on the edge of the pi so it doesn't have a deadzone right under the fan where the heatsink is? Also that would cool the memory directly as well and not through the pcb.

[@ExplainingComputers]

+Pär Moberg Yes, a side placement may work better (though would be harder to mount!). But note that the CPU is not in a deadzone under the middle of the fan, as the CPU is far from central on the PCB. :)

[@ramiabouzahra]

Svensk?

[@dieselaegean]

LMacNeil you are right and bt the way you can buy fans for Raspberry Pi for 5 bucks and if you know how to mod stuff you can fit a mini metal cooler and a fan together

[@leefiles]

oh man that's a huge fan. They make 1 inch fans. Or 2.5cm.

[@andromedadelux]

outstanding.

[@w2110942004]

I kinda curious about the power consumption between fan and pi