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Swaying CPU Fans

Vindi submitted a New Scientist story about a CPU fan that flaps in the breeze. 2cm metal or polyester fan blades, and use less power then a traditional rotary fan. They move less air then the traditional fan, but for laptops, using 99% less power can't hurt. Update Hey its a duplicate from saturday! Guess I shouldn't post while planning my trek to see LotR tomorrow. Go ahead, flame on.

166 comments

  1. fire by bmongar · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Using 99% less power can hurt if it doesn't cool enough and catches the darn thing on fire.

    --
    As x approaches total apathy I couldn't care less.
    1. Re:fire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats not likely. these days if the cpu is getting too hot because the fan is not good enough, all that happens is the cpu will step down and run slower. even if it didnt do that, it might malfunction or break at worst. The chance of a fire is very low indeed.

      (score +4 Insightful my arse)

    2. Re:fire by BitchAss · · Score: 2

      The chance of a fire is very low indeed.

      True....very true.

      Unless of course, you're an AMD owner (while I am an AMD supporter, this kinda worries me).

      I'm sure we all remember article. Take a look at the results.

      --
      Like sex? Read and write about it! Indecent Blogging
    3. Re:fire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      these days if the cpu is getting too hot because the fan is not good enough, all that happens is the cpu will step down and run slower

      Unless you got one of those shitty excuses for a processor from AMD.

    4. Re:fire by Hamshrew · · Score: 1

      Except for the fact that all newer AMD processors(XP and MP past 1.2 GHz) have thermal diode...

      --
      - Free tabletop fantasy gaming! Grey Lotus
    5. Re:fire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ford doesn't make the Pinto anymore, either.

      Didn't stop the ones already out there from being a hazard.

      Intel at least had the decency (after a huge amount of outside pressure) to replace all those Pentium chips with the floating point bug. When is AMD gonna replace the chips that represent an actual physical hazard to the customer?

    6. Re:fire by Hamshrew · · Score: 1

      Yeah... all thos heat sinks jumping off the chips. When is Ford going to recall all those cars with gas tanks? Those things explode, you know... all they need is a little fire.

      --
      - Free tabletop fantasy gaming! Grey Lotus
  2. Karma whores: by alt.sex.fetish.jesus · · Score: 3, Offtopic

    Look for the most insightful posts from the original article and whore all you want:

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/12/13/2010 22 9&mode=flat

    1. Re:Karma whores: by Snowfox · · Score: 1, Funny
      Re:Karma whores: (Score:-1, Offtopic)
      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 18, @08:48AM (#2719584)
      is it me, or have the moderators gone completely bonkers today?

      No - I think they got that one about right. :)

  3. Duplicate article. by headkase · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Slashdot covered an almost identical article a few days ago here.

    --
    Shh.
    1. Re:Duplicate article. by ymgve · · Score: 0, Redundant

      And at the same time, they're ignoring submissions about FBI trying to get hold of the Badtrans keylogs.

      Figures.

    2. Re:Duplicate article. by mons · · Score: 1

      Maybe he was thinking:
      - Ha ha, I'll repost this story so everyone will complain about it and nobody will pay attention to my then

    3. Re:Duplicate article. by joebp · · Score: 1
      And at the same time, they're ignoring submissions about FBI trying to get hold of the Badtrans keylogs
      Yes, I noticed that. Very very very weird. Are they on crack?

      (cue modding-down)

    4. Re:Duplicate article. by Judas96' · · Score: 2, Funny

      Fans may have evolved to the point where they don't have to keep going around in circles, but Slashdot hasn't.

    5. Re:Duplicate article. by ymgve · · Score: 1

      Oh...in what exact way was that comment redundant? Tell me anywhere else on /. this has been mentioned?

    6. Re:Duplicate article. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's just some agent with mod points.

  4. Why not just make cooler running chips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've been looking into this a lot recently, and there's some pretty (ahem) cool developments on the cpu front recently, with x86 architectures.

    Some people point to the VIA C3-800, but if you have real computing needs, steer clear. It runs comparable to a Celeron 400, which is almost, but not quite adequate for general computing. Instead, check out the old reliable suppliers. The shift to .13u means a lot. Frequencies are so high and chips are so powerful that underclocking has become a real option. A good general target for fanless operation is about 12 watts. You can go higher with good case airflow, or lower if you're dealing with troublesome ambient temperatures.

    Right now, you can take the Intel Tualatin pIII 1.13GHz (28W), cut the bus speed to around 100MHz, cut the voltage down to about 1.1v and be right in the target range. Of course you won't know exactly w/o experimentation on your cpu, but it *should* be doable. If you're worried about losing efficiency to bus speed, remember that you can compensate by running it on one of the PIII DDR chipsets that are now available (upping effective bus speeds to 200MHz) or waiting until February, when Intel says they'll release a similar part themselves. Additionally, the 512k (vs 256k) cache on the pIII-s will offset lower bus speeds. Just check out the specs of the PIII-M LV models at developer.intel.com and ask how they got to those low wattage numbers with the same core. Since the last fanless G4 was 400MHz and claimed (in its wildest fantasies) to be a supercomputer twice as fast as a pIII, a fanless 800MHz pIII is not insignificant.

    Even better, surprise, is AMD. The current mobile palomino runs at 1.1GHz, 1.1v, 25w. This is clearly just an underclock of the current 1.75v desktop XPs. But what it tells you is that the AMD architecture is very open to undervoltage at lower clock speeds.

    Now if you consider AMD's forthcoming die shrink, things really look good. Zdnet.de reported (unsourced) that the Athlon 1.73GHz processor would drop from about 75W to 45W after the changeover. Depending on how far you could drop the voltage, you could be looking at a 1-1.2GHz part running at about 10W! Fanless! Now imagine (a beo..no) 2 of these in a well ventilated case, with an MPX board -- 2GHz of dead silent AMD power! Wooo!

    1. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Score +5?? This posting is a cut-and-paste duplicate from the original story!!!!

      These moderation atrocities will be corrected in meta-moderation.

    2. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by RainbowSix · · Score: 2

      At first it would seem like a good idea, but of all my friends whom I've convinced to buy 1.4 gig thunderbirds, they've all complained of the noise, but none of them are willing to underclock. They argue that if they paid for a 1.4 gig, they're going to run at 1.4 gig. Hard to convince people to pay a $100+ premium for a top of the line chip only to run it at a mediocre speed when the only consequence is a little bit of noise.

      --
      --------
      It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
    3. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It runs comparable to a Celeron 400, which is almost, but not quite adequate for general computing.

      Until quite recently, I had a 200MHz PI on my desktop at work. With enough RAM (96MB), it ran Win98 - and did "general computing" - just fine. Some programs were a little slow to come up the first time, but all the standard office applications ran OK. My compilers could have run a little faster, but they weren't too bad, either.

      Now I have a 1 GHz PIII machine, and it's a little snappier for most things, but it's not a night-and-day difference. It certainly doesn't feel like 5x or 6x faster. The 200MHz machines are still in use elsewhere in the office, and they're still doing fine.

      I think the raw CPU power needs for "general computing" was nicely fufilled somewhere around the 486 mark. Application and OS bloat has pushed the requirements up, but there's still a few years of life to be had from a 400MHz equivalent.

      (Posting anonymously because I admitted to using Windows)

    4. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by HiroProtagonist · · Score: 1

      It depends on your priorities. If you are an audiophile something like this might be advantagous if you didn't have the $$ for a soundproofed case. If I wasn't such a speed hound I'd like to do something about that, because the white noise prevents me from hearing the true sound of my music on my PC.

      --
      --Remove chicken to e-mail
    5. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by ergo98 · · Score: 2

      I've been looking for a good Internet Appliance and a CPU that runs at a low enough temperature to require just a passive heatsink (no fan) is something I'm really looking for. Any suggestions?

    6. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by renehollan · · Score: 2
      Sigh.

      I've been looking for something similar.

      Basically: ethernet in, audio/video out (Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and progresive scan component video would be nice), from a streamed MPEG2 source.

      The problem is the "oomph" required to do MPEG2 decoding -- this usually dictates a CPU with enough horsepower to need active cooling. However, if you look at the RealMagic Netstream 2000 by Sigma Designs, you'll find a PCI MP@ML MPEG2 TS and ES decoder card that does not require active cooling and works with a lowly P133.

      One can imagine a settop box based on this combination that would fit the bill. It gets better... there is such a beast, and it runs on Linux: The VIP30306n. This little puppy uses the Sigma Designs em8400 MPEG2 chip... the same one as in the RealMagic Netstream2000.

      The downside is price: the Netstream2000 runs around US$220, and I'd expect that the GCT Allwell box would be US$500 or so.

      --
      You could've hired me.
    7. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      Sounds like you need an iBook to me.

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    8. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by gid · · Score: 1

      Take a look at this barebones toaster sized machine for $250 available for purchase from here.

      It comes with mobo, and power supply, on board ether, s3 savage4 agp (even tv out), audio (only 2 channel), usb, firewire, plus one pci slot. I personally put a wintv card in it so I can use it as a tv, and a dvd drive to play dvd, but you could easily put in a dolby 5.1 card instead of the wintv card.

      I put a 1 ghz celery in it, but as it stands it's rather noisy, casefan + cpu fan + psu fan + hd. But if you get a via c3 it should be able to run without a cpu fan.

      It also should be possible to also hack out the small, noisy case fan that it has now and put in larger, and quieter case fan. Dremmel tool is probably required for this one, or a very nimble hand with tin snips. :)

      Another thing you might to do quiet it up a bit is search for silent drives, I think seagate either makes or is going to make a quiet ide drive. There's also sleaves you can get for ide drives to quiet them, but that might require your only 5.25 bay, which means you'd then need a usb or firewire dvd drive.

      Mine's more of a do it yourselfer but it has pretty much standard hardware, and should have enough horsepower to do pretty much anything that you'd want to do with it, sans FPS games, because of the slow 3d video. 2d is fine though.

      sv24=$250 via c3~$70? hd=$100-150, dvd drive=$60? You pretty much have a machine after that, and any thing else is optional.

    9. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by gid · · Score: 1

      Doh, I meant to reply to the parent of this comment's parent, oh well. Looks like I'm having one of those days again. :/

    10. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by renehollan · · Score: 2
      Yeah, I looked at that. The noise and form factor turned me off. It's kind of tight in there, airflow-wise, but you're right about using a Via C3 to mitigate the CPU fan requirement. If the case fan was quiet, it would be much more desirable.

      As for disk drives, I think we had a diskless client set top box in mind, with content streamed from a server elsewhere.

      The GCT Allwell VIP3030n is really nice, though the processor may be a bit underpowered for rendering comples web pages as it uses an NS Geode. Still, for a/v streaming, it's probably fine.

      --
      You could've hired me.
    11. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by HMC+CS+Major · · Score: 1

      the killfile is basically already implemented ..... try reading this and tell me what you think.

    12. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      I love the form factor of that unit (at the very least it's a lot easier to put in a hidden location where the sound will naturally be dampened somewhat), and I didn't even know about the VIA C3 before so that is a fantastic bit of knowledge for refining the search (the C3 does seem to be key to a reasonable performance IA type system). I don't need DVD or floppy drive performance though, apart from during installation, as I want media to come over the home network.

    13. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 1


      How about an iMac?

      No fan in any of the slot-loading models, all the media playback you can want, etc. Yes, the cheapest new model is $799, but none of the "slot-load" iMacs have a fan, and can be found fairly inexpensively on eBay.

      And if the thought of running the MacOS bothers you, you can run Darwin and X Windows, and still use the Firewire and Airport connections. Just pretend it's BSD but in a differently colored box.

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
    14. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by ergo98 · · Score: 2

      Well I most certainly have nothing against Macs, or the MacOS: Again I'm looking for something as a Internet Appliance and if it performs the desired task then I'm very happy indeed. However the iMac doesn't fit my needs because of the CRT screen (which greatly increases power consumption, heat generation, and of course makes it much bulkier). Also the MacOS isn't an instant on type system. Otherwise I think the Apple products are fantastic.

    15. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by gid · · Score: 1

      It's definitely pretty tight, though hacking in your own case fan might solve the airflow problem. I'm not a big fan of case modding, but I believe I might have to make the new case fan my first attempt. :)

      The psu fan is still pretty darn noisy though, with the size of the psu, there's no way that's going to be easily replaced.

      The big thing about the via c3 is that supposedly the 866's and 933's are out, but I can't find them anywhere for sale. They have a slow fpu (runs at half clock), but that doesn't seem to hurt real world applications that that much suprisingly enough. I'll probably have to try one of those down the road. :)

    16. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by gid · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's cute little machine. :) I just found out about the via c3 myself, it's a promising lower power, low noise chip, I wish more people would push chips in that direction, as I'm around computers enough that I'm starting to despise how noisy they are, especially if you want to play music where the dynamics actually matter. :) I recently put a zalman flower in my 1.33ghz Athlon box and now the worst thing is that the hard drives make too much noise now!

      It's a definite improvement over the Aluminum tornado that I had in the box before, it even runs 6 deg C cooler now.

    17. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. Theoretically AMD chips could only eat twice as much power as their PowerPC brethren.

      The x86 architecture is not where you go to save power.

    18. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get larger, slower fans.

      Get that thin cork panelling stuff and put it on the inside of the case.

      Stop fucking buying these energy-hungry processors. I wanna upgrade too, but Athlon XP and P4s both use something like 50 watts, and I like a quiet computer. It's absurd.

    19. Re:Why not just make cooler running chips? by rsdavis9 · · Score: 1

      I have a p233 and the local computer shows have some nice quiet cpu fans for the p233. The power supply fan also went(couldnt figure out why the machine was so quiet :-) ) so I replaced the fan and the new ball bearing fan was the noisest thing I ever heard. So I went to radio shit and got a 82 ohm .5 watt resistor and hooked it up in series and it is now very quiet. I tried 100 ohm but the fan wouldnt startup. I use this machine as the house linux server and it stays up 24/7 and of course it ends up in the bedroom :-)

      bob

  5. See also... by CaptainAlbert · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This previous story from a couple of days ago on...

    Slashdot...?



    Oh well. :-\

    --
    These sigs are more interesting tha
  6. c'mon by D.Throttle · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    taco, pay attention next time.

  7. Fan Reduction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or just use a notebook that never has to use a fan because it stays cool enough.

    1. Re:Fan Reduction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It won't run any of the expensive commercial software I've invested in and run on my desktop, except in feeble emulation.

      Sorry, not interested.

  8. re-post? by mrdogi · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    and this is not the same as this how?

  9. I suggest by chazzf · · Score: 5, Funny

    that we create a beowulf cluster of repeated Slashdot stories.

    --
    No statement is true, not even this one.
    1. Re:I suggest by SEWilco · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately these fans are merely fanning the invited flames. A cluster of these stories would be a fire hazard.

    2. Re:I suggest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I suggest we create a beowulf cluster of unfunny beowulf clusters comments modded up to 5.

  10. With any luck... by jd · · Score: 1, Troll

    ...New Scientist will use one of these fans on their editor, his brain will catch on fire, and they'll start publishing articles that are closer to science than a supermarket tabloid.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    1. Re:With any luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they cant keep from posting stories more than once, what makes you think they will do as you suggest?

  11. Piezoelectric fans are already available! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At least from Piezo Systems Inc. [piezo.com] in Cambridge, MA. Their specs are worth reproducing:

    * Input Voltage: 115VAC, 60 Hz
    * Capacitance: 15 nF
    * Power Consumption: 30 mW
    * Volume Flow Rate: 2 CFM, (0.9 l/s)
    * Peak Air Velocity: 400 FPM, (2.0 m/s)
    * Weight: 2.8 grams
    * Mounting: #2-56 clr. holes, 2 places
    * Temperature Range: -20 C to 70 C
    * EMI/RFI: None

    However, they're not cheap. Pricing starts at $149. Additionally there is a Piezoelectric Resonant Blade Element [piezo.com]. Interesting stuff. Hopefully mass production of piezoelectric fans will lower their price to the average customer range.

    1. Re:Piezoelectric fans are already available! by billcopc · · Score: 1

      2 cfm ? You couldn't even cool your own self with that kind of non-power. Most mid-range CPU fans move 30-35 cfm, top-end case fans move 130+ cfm. You'd need a beowulf cluster of piezo fans to get that Athlon to just Post.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
  12. Dejas vous by CProgrammer98 · · Score: 1, Redundant
    I have a strange feeling of having read this story somehwere before on Slashdot. I must go see my shrink, It must be me because I just know Slashdot would never duplicate their stories....

    --
    And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour Isaiah 3:5
  13. yep... by lyd · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    well, as I mention the previous article I'm sure many others are rushing to do the same. I make a wager regarding the number of "Pay atttention Taco" duplicate posts I'll se as I return to the comments.

    Damn, phone call... the number goes up.

  14. Deja-Vu? by JEDi_ERiAN · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    In my best keanu-talk "Woah, Deja Vu".

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/12/13/201022 9&mode=thread

    E.

    --

    -
    This Post has been brought to you by the letter "E".
  15. The ultimate fan would... by Ami+Ganguli · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...somehow use the heat from the CPU to power the fan. As the CPU got hotter, the fan would move faster.

    I have no idea how this could be done, but there must be a way.

    --
    It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. - Abraham Maslow
    1. Re:The ultimate fan would... by Eagle7 · · Score: 2

      Hrm... in that case, it would be removing the heat from the CPU (by turning it into some other form of energy). So the end result would be a dynamic heatsink (as opposed to a static one without moving parts) that cooled more efficiently as it got hotter, because it would move air through itself.

      You could do something like this simply by adding a fan to the top (it would work like those Christmas candle things at craft fairs, the rising hot air would turn the fan), but I doubt this would generate enough air flow to make it worthwhile.

      My guess would be that if there was a simple way to turn this heat into enough electricity to power a fan to cool off the heat (which would in turn shut the fan off by reducing the voltage), someone would have done it. Either that, or I should go apply for a patent. ;)

      --
      _sig_ is away
    2. Re:The ultimate fan would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      contradicts the laws of thermodynamics, unfortunately.

    3. Re:The ultimate fan would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      Microsoft should develop it.
      Inconvenient laws don't bother them.

    4. Re:The ultimate fan would... by gazbo · · Score: 1

      As long as there is also a colder region (e.g. the case) it is theoretically possible; bimetallic rods connecting the two sources can induce a current for example.
      Unfortunately, the current generated would be very small (no, I have no figures/equations to back this up) It may seem as though the heat difference would be large, as we've all seen the THG video, however bear in mind the purpose would be to keep the chip at ~30C. So that's only a ~10C difference in temperature - not really going to be enough energy there to power a fan, and the efficiency of the process would be so low that it's hardly a super-efficient heat-sink either.

    5. Re:The ultimate fan would... by chrysrobyn · · Score: 1

      ...somehow use the heat from the CPU to power the fan. As the CPU got hotter, the fan would move faster. I have no idea how this could be done, but there must be a way. There sure is. Have you seen the lights in the stores that have the shade that rotates as long as the light is on? Same thing. The convection action of the heat from the light spins the fan. Same thing with what you propose-- the convection from the processor would spin the fan. More importantly, having the fan in the way will slow the airflow around the processor, thus meaning that the processor gets warmer. The microcurrent from the fan spinning would not end up generating enough power to be worth it, either. Ultimately, in my opinion, there would be a large copper (better yet, silver) block that extends from the processor to the face of the computer itself, with a huge aluminum heat sink on the case. (Copper has a very high coefficient of thermal conduction, silver is better yet, but expensive. Aluminum isn't that great, but aluminum oxide is far better than copper oxide or silver oxide, so it's a great medium for heat exchange with the air.)

    6. Re:The ultimate fan would... by sam@caveman.org · · Score: 2

      also contradicts an even older law: "you can't get somethin' fer' nothin'." i'm sure it sounded much more impressive in the original sumerian.

      -sam

      --
      burn the computers. go back to the abacus.
    7. Re:The ultimate fan would... by SpinyManiac · · Score: 1

      Great idea - I could keep my coffee warm on that.
      But what about the personal injury claims?

      --
      It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
    8. Re:The ultimate fan would... by Cynikal · · Score: 1

      actually thats a great idea.. i wonder how hard it would be for them to recycle an entire computer's heat back into energy.. that would certainly make laptops run forever and a half....

    9. Re:The ultimate fan would... by markmoss · · Score: 2

      The problem is that putting a thermoelectric generator (or any other sort of heat-driven generator) in the heat path from the CPU increases the thermal resistance, so the CPU core gets hotter...

      Of course, heat makes air move directly. Design your heat-sink and case to take advantage of that, and you shouldn't need a fan unless the cooling requirements are outrageous. Problems are:
      --The user can't lay the case on it's side or otherwise change the orientation from what the designer intended.
      --The case, mobo, and heat-sink have to be designed together, and the user can't add anything inside the case, as it might change the airflow.
      --Most CPU's cooling requirements _are_ outrageous if run at full rated speed.

      So I wouldn't want a box designed for natural convection only. But for the user that finds adding a USB peripheral challenging, doesn't need 1GHz, and doesn't want that fan humming, maybe it would work.

    10. Re:The ultimate fan would... by Shipwright · · Score: 1

      Such a thing exists for woodstoves but it doesn't
      start moving until its at a coupla hundred Farenheit.

      -Greg

    11. Re:The ultimate fan would... by eWulf · · Score: 1

      No, it would be akin to pointing the huge great fan _you already had running_ on your sailboat towards the sail. Take notice of your own advice dipshit.

      --
      "If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" - Will Rogers
    12. Re:The ultimate fan would... by toby360 · · Score: 1

      Anyone know what part of a woodstove does this(perhaps a link)? I think its a great idea if it's possible to do efficiently...

    13. Re:The ultimate fan would... by psamuels · · Score: 1
      Hrm... in that case, it would be removing the heat from the CPU (by turning it into some other form of energy). So the end result would be a dynamic heatsink (as opposed to a static one without moving parts) that cooled more efficiently as it got hotter, because it would move air through itself.

      Unfortunately, it would have to have some sort of capacitor to smooth out the power source, or it would only work in spurts - if it worked too well the CPU would become cool for a short time, cutting off power to the "dynamic heatsink". Unless this device were very quiet, I imagine the clicking noise from turning itself on and off (or merely revving up and down) would get annoying. Not to mention probably wearing out the part.

      The other difficulty is, of course, in designing something that converts heat into a usable form of energy with temperature differences less than, say, what you need for a steam turbine. No present solution to this problem seems to be particularly cheap.

      --
      "How can you claim that you are anti-crack, while still writing a window manager?" — Metacity README
    14. Re:The ultimate fan would... by psamuels · · Score: 1
      i wonder how hard it would be for them to recycle an entire computer's heat back into energy.. that would certainly make laptops run forever and a half....

      An entire computer's heat? Not possible, thanks to thermodynamics - you're talking perpetual motion here. And, since heat has so much more entropy than electricity, you probably can't even come close, even theoretically.

      And don't forget the light output from the laptop's LCD, or the other EM output from the various motherboard components. The only way to "recoup" some of that power would be to harness the kinetic energy wasted on moving the keyboard keys track ball.

      Easier by far to keep coming up with ways to (a) use less power and/or (b) store more power.

      --
      "How can you claim that you are anti-crack, while still writing a window manager?" — Metacity README
  16. What a surprise. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Taco repeats another story.

    Hey, Taco. Why don't you lay off the Diablo II for a few minutes so you can actually see what's going on on this precious site of yours, eh? Do your editors even talk to each other, let alone you?

    Idiot. Things like this certainly don't lend an air of professionalism or credibility to your site, but I forget sometimes that Slashdot isn't really news or stuff that matters. It's Rob Malda's private wankdesk.

  17. Your missing the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is a point to have chinese fans, if you have the chinese women to keep your case "cool".

  18. Warning!! **Grammar Flame** by iiii · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    ...use less power then a traditional rotary fan. They move less air then the traditional fan...

    Than, THAN, THAN, T-H-A-N!!!!!
    Learn it, use it.
    less power THAN
    less air THAN

    This is only the millionth time you've made that mistake. Very slow learner.

    It's English, your native language, using it correctly is better THAN looking like an idiot. And fire your copy editor, he or she is totally unqualified.

    --
    Light cup, beer drink, thin so chain, neck turtle fat, man I won't say it again
  19. New Topic by The_Flames · · Score: 1

    You never know SlashDot may one day have Fans or Cooling devices ass a seprate section.

    I would be blown away if the fan would work better for less power :P

    --

    --
    The computer told me to press any key to continue,I pressed the one looking like this (|) !!OH SH*T!!
  20. A beowulf cluster of these by Warvi · · Score: 1

    Would be a cpu fan club?

    --


    Consistency is overrated.
  21. So we would call them Flaptops ? by supertsaar · · Score: 1

    :)

    --
    The Bigger The Headache The Bigger the Pill
  22. This is NOT the same story as last time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The other story deals with cpu cooling fans that are little waving thingees that move FROM SIDE TO SIDE.

    This story is about a cpu cooling fan with little waving thingees that move UP AND DOWN.

    It's obviously a completely different technology!

  23. who's fault? by mr.ska · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Should we flame CmdrTaco to a crisp for repeating a story that was already posted less than a week ago? Or should we flame Vindi for submitting a story that was already posted less than a week ago?

    Aw, screw it. In the spirit of the season, I'll just wish them both a Merry CowboyNealmas!

    --

    Mr. Ska

  24. Slashdot search index by Alien54 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    One of the major problems is that, as it says on the Slashdot search page, words of less than 3 characters are not indexed.

    This means that searches for things like "IBM" or "cpu" or "CSS", etc end up with no results. This makes it much more difficult to find things like duplicate stories about AMD CPU. etc

    this likely needs to be fixed so that when an editor searches for a dupe he does not get trapped.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
  25. Peizo fans are at least 15 years old by b1t+r0t · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I had a peizo fan in my old Mac (a 128 with a Levco MonsterMac 2 meg upgrade) back in 1986. It had two strips (about 1cm by 4cm) sticking out of the top, and the strips vibrated. It was held in there by velcro and just pushed the air around. (It did not attach to a CPU or anything like that.)

    It's kind of hard to tell exactly what this article is describing, but it sounds like exactly the same thing at half the size.

    --

    --
    "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
    "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
    1. Re:Peizo fans are at least 15 years old by markmoss · · Score: 2

      Yes, peizo fans have been around a long time. They use a crystal which shrinks or expands when in an electric field. So you attach levers to the crystal so a small dimensional change flaps the wings, and put in a little inverter circuit to apply AC to electrodes on the crystal.

      I don't know if there is any real advantage to this as compared to regular motor-driven fans. It takes a certain amount of power to move a certain amount of air, and AFAIK electric motors are pretty efficient. I don't know the efficiency of piezo devices, but I don't see how it can get much more than electric motors -- if a piezo fan takes 0.01 times the power, it's probably moving 0.01 times as much air, and that's not going to keep your 2GHz CPU cool. But if you actually want that tiny of a fan, I expect piezo will scale down easier than motors.

      Also, most small fan failures are due to the bearing going out. Piezo devices don't have to have bearings -- you can just bend the wings to flap them instead. If you can find material that will bend back and forth forever without failing, peizo might be more reliable. But that's a big "if".

  26. Don't Worry CmdrTaco by alphabet26 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    We still luv ya... :)

    I do have a question. Why not just remove the article after you find out that it's a duplicate? Judging by the... er... quality of comments, is it really worth it to keep the article up?

    --
    -AlPhAbEt
  27. Answer: what is piezoelectric? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those who are unaware, piezoelectric crystals are items that will change shape under the application of an electric field and/or generate a potential difference (i.e. a voltage) when squeezed.
    They're used in inkjet printers - they're in ink some cartridge when an electric field is applied to them and they change shape, forcing the ink out of the I also hear the they used them in the ipod for some sort of playlist control mechanism.

    1. Re:Answer: what is piezoelectric? by Mochatsubo · · Score: 1

      ...they used them in the ipod for some sort of playlist control mechanism.
      The only place the iPod would have a piezoelectric element would be for its speaker. The iPod makes audible clicks when you navigate its GUI. Just one of the many small details that makes the iPod supercool.
  28. Reminds me of an old joke... by CProgrammer98 · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?

    None - Bill declares Darkness an Industry Standard!

    --
    And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour Isaiah 3:5
  29. Moderation by Drakula · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Why isn't there a moderation system set up for the stories that are posted? What I mean is the stories themselves should be modded just like the comments. I think that would make the most open system possible. Also, the editors would have an additional measure to the types of stories that people respond to. That way things like this would be modded down as a repeat and ignored much easier.

    This is not meant as a Troll, just constructive criticism.

    --
    "It's comin' back around again..." -RATM
    1. Re:Moderation by Drakula · · Score: 1

      How can this possibly be offtopic? Right in the story its talks about it being a repeat. Why don't you friggin' moderators tell me what the appropriate forum would be for this type of comment? I'm sick of getting modded down for stupid shit....well anyway end of rant. I probably just blew more karma, oh well.

      --
      "It's comin' back around again..." -RATM
  30. Re:Slashdot search index - fencepost error by Howie · · Score: 2

    words of less than 3 characters are not indexed

    This means that searches for things like "IBM" or "cpu" or "CSS", etc end up with no results.

    No, it would mean 'is' and 'it' aren't indexed. Since the page actually says less than 4, your second statement is true though - which is wierd considering the number of TLAs in /. articles.

    --
    "don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
  31. all that you can't leave behind.... by Andreas(R) · · Score: 0

    Doesn't anybody think it's cool to be noisy anymore? I mean, say what you will about being distracting and all that, but I'd love to impress my friends with a PC that sounds like a lawnmower. it's POWER! it's TOUGH! it's AMERICAN!

    sometimes worrying about things like noise is too girly, even for me.

  32. Re:Slashdot search index - fencepost error by DanMcS · · Score: 2

    It's been a while since I pondered the intricacies of slashcode, but they could probably filter it so that it caught TLAs which were uppercased (well, any three-letter word which was uppercased, it wouldn't know it was an acronym). This would catch stuff like IBM and CSS, since those are the kinds of things people would like to be able to search on.

    --
    Communication is only possible between equals
  33. Time to revise the overclockers manual by SumDeusExMachina · · Score: 1
    This is just an excuse for designers to make CPU's less efficent and more power hungry.

    Imagine...

    Washington Post: Dec 13, 2018. Details are now emerging about the accident that irradiated much of Germany on Tuesday. Nothing is as yet confirmed, however, initial reports indicate that a heatsink was somehow removed from an AMD processor (PR rating 10,000,000). A bizzare terrorist group with the initials THG may have been involved. Containment was lost, and critical mass was reached almost immediately. AMD representatives have issued a statement in the wake of the carnage: "Obviously, they were using an improperly designed motherboard."

    --

    Is your company running tools written by ma
  34. Slash AI? by Alien54 · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    how could you forget something that happened 3 days ago?

    lets see three or less characters, or three or less days ago.

    must be a bug in the SlashDot AI they are trying to develop in secret. Something OSDN is developing to see if they can dispense with human story selection, moderation, etc.

    think about it. Can YOU tell the differance?

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
  35. No Noise by KrunZ · · Score: 1

    Much more important: the article mentions that it produces no noise.

    That will save me a headacke or two - my DELL Inspiron desktop-replacement starts an aeroplane everytime it does something harder than running an editor.

    "BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

  36. A Breeze? by yumyum · · Score: 1

    >> CPU fan that flaps in the breeze

    So, um, how much breeze is needed? And if there's a breeze, why do you need a fan?...

    1. Re:A Breeze? by nuclearsnake · · Score: 1

      What I think was ment by a CPU fan that flaps in the breeze was not the fan by maybe the heatsink that the fan blows on.

      But if they were really talking about the fan then I'd have to get one of those and sit it next to my perpetual motion machine and cold fusion reactor.

      -nuclearsnake

      --
      See the forbiden post Here
  37. Flame On! by FortKnox · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Taco gave us permission to flame! Lets go!

    Flame #1: Why is Overrated/Underrated not M2'd? The conspiracy theory here is that since editors moderated with unlimited points, its a way for editors to moderate things they don't like (censorware, anything said badly about them) down without feeling the wrath of M2!

    Flame #2: Is the AC privacy on slashdot really safe after upgrading to Slash2.2??

    Flame #3: Do you really think that people with a lot of comments need to get out more even though they are indirectly lining your wallet?

    Let the flame war begin!
    And remember moderators, this is on topic, cause Taco said to "Flame On!" (at least gimmie a point for attempt at humor) :-P

    --
    Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
  38. Slashdotted again? by jea6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    What I want to know is just what the people in this industry did to CmdrTaco that would make him Slashdot their servers twice in a week?

    --

    sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
  39. CPU Fans are hard to sway by InterGuru · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Most CPU fans that I know are dedicated to their favorite CPU and it is very difficult to sway their opinion

  40. Then, Than. by simetra · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    They move less air then the traditional fan,
    Here are some examples to help clarify the correct usage of Then and Than: 1. If you're ugly, then you're not pretty. 2. My dog is nicer than yours. 3. Back then, we had to eat bugs to survive. 4. More often than not, Sally would skip breakfast. Thanks.

    --

    "Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
  41. It's a sad, sordid tale by wiredog · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Involving a lady, a cat, a candle, and a fire at a friends house.

    1. Re:It's a sad, sordid tale by SimJockey · · Score: 1

      Ya know, if you've been around /. long enough, this modded down comment is way funnier than the parent comment that got modded up.

      --
      Laugh while you can, monkey boy!
  42. kuro5hin by biftek · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    is the answer to that question.

  43. Get a clue by Chris+Colohan · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Hey Taco -- if Slashdot is so boring and poorly written that even _you_ do not bother reading it, do you think that might be a good hint?

  44. Re:Let me get this straight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uh oh... someone let the kids read Noam Chomsky again.

  45. Not True by Tychoma · · Score: 1

    You would only be contradicting the laws of thermodynamics if you used the power generated to power the CPU.

    --
    Karma: Shitty (mostly due to American moderators)
    1. Re:Not True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The system is the CPU + fan dumbass

  46. Re-post ahoy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Taco sucks my sweaty nutsack!

  47. Re:Let me get this straight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You might be right, as he didn't list any of the instances where the Sandanistas committed atrocities.

    They had one heck of a salad bar at that conference in Mangua.

  48. repeat from saturday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What, me, proofread?

  49. Bummer by MicroBerto · · Score: 1
    Update Hey its a duplicate from saturday! Guess I shouldn't post while planning my trek to see LotR tomorrow. Go ahead, flame on.
    Aww, that takes all the fun out of it! Taco's got the trolls there!
    --
    Berto
  50. Yes I had one of those as well. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes I had one of those as well.
    It just sat in there flapping away and moving just enough air to keep things from over heating.

  51. "Flame on" eh? by jekk · · Score: 1

    Okay... I'll flame away. The constant, repeated posting of duplicate stories, often within a day or so of each other demonstrates an unbelievably poor level of editorial oversight. I propose that /. editors lose editorial privilages for 24 hours after each such obvious gaff.

    1. Re:"Flame on" eh? by Mr.Phil · · Score: 1

      this wouldn't work... They would only get to post one or two stories every other 24 hours then

  52. No, don't flame, please by bungo · · Score: 1

    Hey its a duplicate from saturday! Guess I shouldn't post while planning my trek to see LotR tomorrow. Go ahead, flame on.

    Please don't flame. This story is about CPU fans.

    ... And we all know that you shouldn't flame the fans.

    --
    "The best part? I became an ordained minister while not wearing pants." -- CleverNickName
  53. Re:Slashdot search index - fencepost error by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    or you could properly make it I.B.M. and use the periods to denote that you are using initials -- I.B.M. is 6 chars long

  54. You people dont read slashdot anymore, do you? by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

    How about in order to be eligible to post on the main page, you have to visit the site at least once a week?

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  55. No "maybe" about it-- it's been done by phillymjs · · Score: 2

    So I wouldn't want a box designed for natural convection only. But for the user that finds adding a USB peripheral challenging, doesn't need 1GHz, and doesn't want that fan humming, maybe it would work.


    It's been done, by apple (who else?). Since the introduction of the models that had slot-loading CD drives in October 1999, iMacs have been fanless, cooled totally by convection currents. Not surprisingly, the iMac was designed for the novice user who doesn't need 1GHz and won't ever be dinking around in the thing's innards, so convection cooling was the way to go.

    The G4 Cube was also cooled in this manner, but that model was directed at studio managers and CEO types who likewise wouldn't need expandability.

    ~Philly

  56. I'm a CPU fan by scheming+daemons · · Score: 1
    In fact, I'm such a big fan that when the calls don't go their way, I throw beer bottles on the field.

    Go CPU! (woof woof woof!)

    --
    "I have as much authority as the pope, I just
    don't have as many people who believe it" - George Carlin

  57. Palm-O-Lectric fans are a possibility by lynchmenow · · Score: 1

    This concept invokes visions of those palm leaves-attached-to-a-stick-and-a-motor that you see in some classy restaurant type places. Anyone tried miniturizing that and putting it in a PC?

  58. Tomorrow? Sneak preview is tonight!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WHy wait till tomorrow? Many theatres are sneaking it at 12:01.

  59. First Hemos, now CmdrTaco by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    It looks like the boys are way too disinterested in Slashdot to give a flying crap about the quality of news. Hemos had a passable excuse, he was busy banging his VA-bought wife to read older articles and find something unique. But Taco, what the hell is his excuse? He pawns it off on LOTR, but that's a crock of bullshit. Taco just plain doesn't care anymore. He's lost direction and meaning in his life, and it's a metaphor for the state of the entire Slashdot phenomenon.


    It's obvious that Slashdot is on the decline, the authors are getting soft, the news is stale, even the code has gone cold. I consider Slashdot second or third tier on the fresh news hierarchy. Sites like Fark are now running laps around Slashdot and I think it's only a matter of time before Taco turns off his servers and returns to "Commanding" the drive-up window at Taco Bell.

  60. LOTR TONIGHT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yes if in your city the picture house has a midnight showing, you too can catch the film tonight, or actually its tomarrow AM.

  61. Dork... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Guess I shouldn't post while planning my trek to see LotR tomorrow.


    No shit, Taco. Don't you get paid to work for /. now?

  62. Flame On by JPhule · · Score: 1

    here Goes...

    What do you mean LOTR Tommorrow?! Someone with your power should be able to convince their local theaters to show it a day early!

    At least some of us were able to do it here in the Twin Cities.

    ;-P

  63. No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's much more fun to have a good old-fashioned flamefest.

  64. Flame on, huh? by sharkey · · Score: 2

    Hey its a duplicate from saturday! Guess I shouldn't post while planning my trek to see LotR tomorrow.

    Perhaps you shouldn't check spelling and capitalization while planning your treks. Do your planning BEFORE you spellcheck.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  65. How hard is it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean, come on. Slashdot editors post what, 12-15 stories a day? How hard is it?

    It is sad to see how much slashdot quality has slipped.