Targus Laptop Chill mat mods

[thrasher_565]

hey so im trying to get Giga-Byte Technology Aero 15X v8-BK4 used laptop off amazon.ca and i got a Targus 2 fan chill mat https://www.amazon.ca/Targus-Lap-Chill-Mat-AWE55US/dp/B002NU5O9C/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=targus+chill+mat&qid=1557964665&s=gateway&sr=8-1 for cooling it...i had it all of a day and thing on moding my own fans in it. questions im having are the lap top has 3 usb 3.1 ports and i was thing on going usb male to 4pin fan. my question is do i need a usb 3.1 male connector or any male usb connector should work? most connectors i find are 5v would that laptop handle 12v? i found that natua make a 5v usb fan but bit price at $40 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07F49P8S2/?coliid=I3A8W5LJJ0PKSW&colid=1FAOHYDQQPCKN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

usb 2.0 male to 3/4pin 5v https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07G8BCH7V/?coliid=I2A7PU4H4IW7Y4&colid=1FAOHYDQQPCKN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

usb 20. male to 10pin dupant https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06Y5C7DKH/?coliid=I1V3V6JIRH95FT&colid=1FAOHYDQQPCKN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

i already found a way to take out the midel plastic thing out of the laptop mat just need to find out how big of fan i can fit.

 

i think the 2 fans suck air in the bottom and exhaust out the top front? https://www.ultrabookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/back-2.jpg

 

[Alkemyst]

I know this is an old thread, however; searching the internet a few days ago brought me to this and there was no other build thread I could find.

 

The Noctua 200MM fan fits well with some mods (it will bow the top of the case slightly but stable enough for a laptop to just sit on it, if you are typing on that laptop maybe not ideal.  However I tested typing on it and it wasn't too wobbily).  You don't need to buy anything extra to install the fan itself as everything is included to connect it to a USB A port.  Make sure you buy the 5V version (most are 12V).  There are two 80mm x 1/2 inch fans installed on the Targus that put out some decent air and are quiet, but not like what the Noctua can do and it doesn't really add any more noise.  To me, it's actually quieter.

 

Another bonus of this big fan is if you want to cool more components down. My Thinkpad P52 has a lot of ventilation at the bottom.  Sadly the CPU and GPU fans / heat pipe is terrible.  Using this and some HoneyWell PTM7950 tape fixed much of the cooling issues and I don't throttle so much anymore.  When my laptop heated up, it's fans would get LOUD.  I was even undervolting the CPU.  I didn't do a lot of testing with temps yet, but I can tell my iPhone that charges next to my laptop isn't getting so hot from the exhaust air anymore and my laptop fans are not throttling up so much.  Also if I ever need to move my laptop the bottom is much more cooler. 

 

Another bonus #2 is this cooler is almost the exact dimensions of my Thinkpad P52 so takes no desk space up.   Also since I use an external keyboard improves the experience slightly raising my laptop's monitor.  I had tried another cooler that was extremely large and expensive and it just didn't cool my laptop much and also stuck out like an extra 3-4 inches all around.

 

So back to the install: 

 

The Targus case needs some mods, but they are trivial.  You will need some simple tools like a #1 or #2 phillips screwdriver and end cutters, although a sharp knife would probably work in a jam.

 

First take the 3 visible screws out on both sides of it.  Then pop it open from the back (there is some clips and glue, you don't need glue to reinstall.  You will notice during this there are screws at the front of the case.  Don't worry about those, they are inaccessible unless you peel off the neoprene covering, which I would think would be a mess.). 

 

Now pop out the plastic grid (top of the case), you will hear snapping/popping but nothing broke on mine.

 

Uninstall the existing fan carrier (5 screws).  Then cut off the five pegs (I snapped mine off, but it discolored the plastic grid a bit, using cutters would be better, and I wished I sort of did since you will need end cutters to do the next part anyway).

Now with it out, you can test fit the fan for this next step to see where you need to cut.  The fan needs to be all the way to the back of the case.  Clip (I used end cutting mini pliers, they would have been better to remove the stand offs for the old fans) the plastic lip off (you will end up with about 1-2" of it on both sides after) and the two flat pegs that clipped into it at the back of the case.  This will make the top grid a little loose in the middle, using some double sided 3M tape would fix it, but really not needed.

 

Once that is done, you want to make sure the Noctua fan is going to be blowing out the top of the case (the totally open side of the fan) and the power cable exits to the left side.  I used the fan screws as stands at the top of the fan / back of the case to make sure the fan is held up against the top (that said it seemed to be staying there by itself with the pressure from the front of the case.

 

Snap it back together and reinstall the screws.  You are done.  It's 2x the price of the original unit,  but a much better laptop cooler than you can buy in that footprint.

 

If you want to get crazy and break out a dremel or cut alot, you can remove the small reinforcement lips at the front of the plastic grid.  It would give you about another 1/8" of airflow for the fan.